The highlight to next week’s budget deliberations will likely be Greater Sudbury city council members parsing through 18 business cases, each of which propose service-level changes.
City council will start off Monday’s deliberations with a 4.7-per-cent tax-levy increase, which includes a 1.5-per-cent special capital levy toward infrastructure earmarked for roads.
The original 2025 tax levy starting point was established in late 2023 as part of the city’s first multi-year budget, and included a 7.3-per-cent tax levy increase.
A motion by Mayor Paul Lefebvre later tasked city staff with finding $8.5 million to reduce the tax levy jump to a maximum of 4.9 per cent. Aided by a boost in provincial funding, staff members were able to trim it down to the 4.7-per-cent increase city council members now face.
The 2025 budget also proposes a 4.8-per-cent water/wastewater rate increase. This might be the final in a series of annual 4.8-per-cent jumps, with staff recently indicating that a greater increase will likely be requested in the 2026 budget.
Of these 18 business cases tabled for deliberations, 15 propose service-level changes and three put forward service-level decreases suggested by city staff to help reduce the budget.
Although some business cases currently carry a levy impact of zero (and more could, depending on where city council members draw funds), the overall impact of adopting all 15 service-level changes would be almost a full percentage in addition to the current 4.7-per-cent levy increase.
The three business cases calling for budget reductions (closing Levack’s arena, closing three fire halls early and killing the driveway entrance culvert subsidy) would lower the 2025 levy by approximately 0.1 per cent.
Only those business cases championed by city council members will be deliberated during next week’s meetings. Although it remains to be seen which ones will actually come forward, the following is a brief rundown of business cases tabled, in order of 2025 tax levy impact:
(The city’s complete business cases with additional context are available by clicking here.)
- Proceed with Phase 2 of the MR 55 / Lorne Street infrastructure renewal project, which consists of the renewal and rehabilitation of the corridor from Elm Street southwest to Power Street, minus a recently improved section between Logan Avenue and Martindale Road.
- This project carries an estimated construction cost of $21.8 million, and city staff recommend against waiting for funds from senior levels of government, which could take time and increase “the risk of failure of critical underground infrastructure on this key commercial and industrial route.” Of the total expense, $5.2 million would come from the water/wastewater approved capital budget, and $16.6 million would be debt financed, which carries a $1.2-million annual tax levy impact for 25 years. The net levy impact in 2025 would be 0.32 per cent.
- Implement modern workplace efficiencies for municipal relocation. This project would accompany the Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square project, in which 17 municipal areas are relocating from 200 Brady St. to the upper floors of 199 Larch St. to make way for a new central library at city hall. Not all physical files can make the trip, so this effort would help digitize them. An easy-to-use digital search method is anticipated to free up 4,940 staff hours per year.
- Associated costs are $1.4 million between 2025-27, followed by annual savings of $59,556. The net 2025 tax-levy impact would be $553,790, representing a 2025 levy impact of 0.16 per cent.
- Begin implementing the Sustainable Waste Strategy. This includes various changes to how the city handles waste as part of a broader effort to decrease the amount of garbage landfilled to extend the life of existing landfill sites.
- The net 2025 budget impact would be $432,000, followed by $53,500 annually. The tax levy impact for 2025 would be 0.12 per cent.
- Implement a mattress diversion program, which was a proposal deferred from past budget deliberations. This program would divert mattresses and box springs from the city landfill sites to be recycled at a private facility where approximately 95 per cent of materials can be reused. Diverting this waste would extend the landfill sites’ lifespan by approximately three years.
- The annual net cost is $475,000, and the net levy impact in 2025 would be 0.1 per cent. However, factoring in loss in landfill space, the long-term impacts to this program are a net cost savings. In 2025 alone, the gross cost of landfill space occupied by mattresses is approximately $827,798. Minus nine months of mattress diversion operations in 2025 ($356,250), the net savings is $403,778 (albeit, not reflected in the tax levy as yet).
- Install two full road weather information systems, to provide real-time information on road conditions, including atmospheric and pavement temperature, wind information, rain and snow accumulation as well as live video. The city currently has two (at Onaping River bridge in Levack and Vermillion River bridge in Whitefish), with this expenditure slated to double their collection by adding cameras to the Valley/Capreol area and Nickel Centre area.
- The one-time cost to this is $250,000, plus an annual ongoing cost of $5,000. The 2025 tax-levy impact would be 0.07 per cent.
- Expand community homelessness prevention initiative guidelines, as part of the city’s direction to city staff to map a path toward bringing a functional end to homelessness by 2030. This $200,000 annual budget boost proposed would help pay rents through the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative, since the budget has not kept up with rising rent costs. The initiative’s current 2024/25 budget is approximately $930,000.
- The 2025 tax levy impact is 0.06 per cent.
- Create a climate resilience officer contract position to provide direction and guidance across all city departments to ensure the city’s two climate action plans, the Community Energy and Emissions Plan and Community Climate Change Adaptation Plan are followed. At the latest update in March, the city was not on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
- The ongoing cost, which begins at $164,948 in 2025, carries a net levy impact of 0.05 per cent next year.
Other business cases and their associated 2025 tax-levy impact include adding a cybersecurity analyst ($91,441), hiring a part-time municipal law enforcement officer to respond to issues aboard transit vehicles ($37,503) and creating an outdoor sports court at O’Connor Playground ($280,000 one-time cost, most of which covered in 2026).
The installation of a new columbarium wall at Civic Memorial Cemetery is proposed to add 120 funerary urn placements at a total cost of $325,000 and generate $440,725 in revenue, with funds borrowed through a trust fund to mitigate any tax levy impacts.
One of the largest proposals, an almost $8-million reconstruction of Elgin Street from Elm Street to the Brady Street underpass, would be funded by reserves and not carry an impact to the 2025 tax levy. Replacing this stretch of road’s infrastructure was already in the city’s long-term plan, but its timeline is proposed to be moved up to accommodate the events centre planned for downtown Sudbury, “to minimize potential disruptions" to both its construction and operations.
Upgrades to Elgin Street would include cycling infrastructure and replacing a water main constructed in 1967. The project would take two full construction seasons and likely be completed by the end of 2026.
Another business case calls for $4.9-million in deferred maintenance work to the exterior elements of Tom Davies Square along Paris Street. Although it complements the Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square library/art gallery project, project manager Nick Zinger told city council in September that it was in the works regardless as part of the second phase of courtyard improvements.
Work would include accessible ramps to the Paris/Brady Street intersection, landscaping, waterproofing and other exterior work.
Funds would be drawn from debt issued for the $65-million project and would not carry a tax levy impact. The renovations would run in tandem with the Cultural Hub, which is slated to open by the beginning of 2027 — a slight delay from the previously announced late 2026 grand opening.
Monday’s budget meeting is scheduled to take place in council chambers at Tom Davies Square beginning at 1 p.m. It can be viewed in-person or livestreamed by clicking here.
Meetings have also been scheduled for the same time and location the following two days, as needed.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
