Burlington City Council approves $165M 2019 operating budget with investments in infrastructure, public transit and other community services
The below is a media release issued by the City of Burlington.Burlington, Ont. – March 26, 2019 — Burlington City Council has approved the city’s 2019 operating budget with a 2.99 per cent increase in the city’s portion of property taxes. Combined with tax increases from Halton Region and the boards of education, the overall tax increase is 1.94 per cent or $15.08 per $100,000 of a home’s current value assessment.Quick Facts
- The 2019 operating budget delivers a base budget increase of 1.66 per cent. Other impacts to the operating budget in 2019 include:
- An additional $2.8 million or 1.73 per cent towards the capital budget for the renewal of Burlington’s aging infrastructure
- $976,000, or an additional tax increase of 0.6 per cent for investments to improve public transit
- Phased reduction in hospital levy, tax decrease of 1.0 per cent
- City of Burlington property taxes for a home assessed at $500,000 are $1,727. When combined with the proposed Halton Region increase and no change for education, overall property taxes for a home assessed at $500,000 are $3,964.
The 2019 operating budget focuses on:
| Investing in infrastructure | An additional $2.8 million towards renewing Burlington’s aging infrastructure. |
| Hospital commitment | Phased reduction in the hospital tax levy as the city continues to meet our $60 million obligation. |
| Transit | Strategic investments to improve the city’s transit service, including funding for six additional bus operators and one additional Handi-Van driver;A new 18-month pilot program that provides free transit service for seniors, Monday-Friday between 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.;Free transit for residents who qualify for Halton Region’s Subsidized Passes for Low Income Transit (SPLIT) program. |
| Community investment | $565,000 of temporary funding to help maintain and protect the city’s tree canopy from invasive species, such as emerald ash borer (EAB) and gypsy moth ($465,000 in one-time funding for EAB and $100,000 ongoing in the base exclusively for tree-planting);Additional funding for sidewalk snow plowing maintenance;Two additional municipal bylaw enforcement officers;Additional staffing for more seniors programming;Increased maintenance at the recently renewed Burloak Regional Waterfront Park;1-year pilot to conduct new city-wide home fire safety program. |
"The 2019 budget focuses on ensuring the continued delivery of services and the renewal of Burlington's aging infrastructure. At the same time, it provides investments in the community for new programs and initiatives." — Joan Ford, Director of Finance
Links and Resources
- For more information about Burlington’s 2019 budget, visit burlington.ca/budget
- Learn more about Burlington’s Senior Property Tax Rebate
- Highlights from the 2019 Operating Budget committee discussions
- Breakdown of calculations of savings and funding increases in 2019 budget
MY TAKE:I want to extend my thanks to my Council colleagues for the respectful budget discussions that took place around the city’s capital and operating budgets. As well, I want to thank everyone that sat around the budget committee table for their hard work and consideration, including staff’s advice. I am happy that we have been able to deliver Burlington residents a budget under 3% without sacrificing any of the essential services many of them rely on and enjoy. These are not easy discussions and we have done incredible work for the community, including investments in renewing infrastructure, increased access to improved transit, and the protection of our tree canopy. There are a lot more good things in this budget and I’m proud of the work we’ve done and the respectful way we’ve gone about it.