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Budget talk: Early 2019 property tax hike pegged at 3.5%

City council moves into budget mode for the next month
Tom Davis Square 1 (2018)
Tom Davies Square. (File)

With options to keep it as low as 2.5 per cent, city council got its first look at the 2019 municipal budget Tuesday, with a proposed property take increase of 3.5 per cent. 
 
The $588.9 million budget is funded through a mix of property taxes (46 per cent), funds from upper levels of government, user fees and other revenues. At 3.5 per cent, the city would be able to maintain existing services, fund capital programs (including more than $46 million for roads) and plan for future work to replace existing infrastructure.

“I look forward to reviewing the proposed budget and thank staff for the substantial work that has gone into its development,” Ward 7 Coun. Mike Jakubo, who chairs the finance commitee, is quoted as saying in a news release. “Council will work together with staff to finalize a budget that meets community needs while responsibly ensuring our city’s future sustainability.”

For a typical home assessed at $230,000, a 3.5-per-cent property tax increase amounts to an increase of approximately $9 a month.

The total proposed capital budget of $116.6 million focuses on asset renewal and includes investments in roads, drainage projects, facility upgrades and cycling infrastructure, the release said, and a special levy of 1.5 per cent is “recommended to accelerate the community’s known asset renewal needs.”

Water and wastewater rates are set to increase by 7.4 per cent, part of a long-term plan to transfer the cost of maintaining the system to users.

“The budget describes the resources required to deliver city programs and services for the year, while providing important context for understanding our services,” CAO Ed Archer said in the release. “Planned infrastructure renewal requirements in 2019, together with investments in new projects, will transform and benefit the community.”
 
Highlights of the proposed 2019 budget:

  • $46.6 million invested in the city’s road network, including funding for the Maley Drive Extension project and $15.6 million for several bridge and culvert rehabilitation projects throughout the community;
  • $18.5 million for winter road maintenance, up from $17 million in 2018;
  • $4.3 million investment in recreational assets, including upgrades to the Howard Armstrong Recreation Centre and the Dowling Leisure Centre;
  • $3.2 million for projects at the Azilda and Sudbury landfill sites to enable the city to responsibly dispose and divert waste and to protect the environment around the landfill sites;
  • Financing options for the Junction (art gallery, library and convention/performance centre) downtown.

Public input on the budget runs now to Feb. 12. An online budget survey is available for residents to share their spending and public service priorities. Additionally, several in-person opportunities will take place as follows:

  • A City Services Fair will take place Feb. 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the New Sudbury Centre - Centre Court. Drop-in any time throughout the day to speak with city staff and learn about important services areas.
  • Budget input pop-ups will be held at a number of locations throughout the city, including sporting events, winter carnivals, arenas and libraries. A full schedule will be communicated to the public once details are finalized.
  • Public input will be included in a report to council before budget deliberations.
  • Online input can be provided at overtoyou.greatersudbury.ca. Paper copies are available at library and citizen service centres. 

The tough decisions on the budget will be made at meetings between Feb. 19-21. Council will be asked to approve the budget immediately following the completion of deliberations.

Visit www.greatersudbury.ca/budget for more detail.


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Darren MacDonald

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