Strong Mayor Powers and the Mayor's Budget

This year, the City of Burlington went through an entirely new budget process -- it was new to everyone, Council, staff and the public. It was the result of the "Strong Mayor Powers" announced by the Province on June 16, 2023, that expanded these new legislated authorities to 26 municipalities, including Burlington.This legislation was applied to cities that had previously committed to a housing pledge with the Provincial government. Burlington Council unanimously supported our housing pledge in March 2023 (click/tap the link to learn more). As a result, Burlington was included in the list of municipalities that were granted these powers by the Province. Burlington did not opt into strong mayor powers. These regulations were simply applied to our city when they took effect on July 1, 2023. There was no option to refuse the powers and as Mayor, I did not ask for these powers. My focus has always been on building a collaborative, cohesive Council – as I outlined in a previous post on my website in June 2023.It's important to note Burlington unanimously accepted our housing pledge long before the Province discussed extending strong mayor powers beyond the cities of Toronto and Ottawa. Among all municipalities, there was no knowledge the housing pledge would be tied to receiving strong mayor powers later on. There were a few cities in Ontario that decided not to sign onto housing pledges with the Province at this time, including Newmarket. Mayor John Taylor of Newmarket has been outspoken about his city’s inability to meet their housing target due to sewage capacity limits that would not be resolved within the Province’s timeline. Because of this, Newmarket did not receive strong mayor powers on July 1, 2023.Since Burlington had accepted its housing pledge, strong mayor powers were applied to our city. I am now required to follow this new legislation set out for Burlington. And as part of these new changes, I am responsible for proposing the municipal budget for Council consideration. I cannot delegate this responsibility in my role as Mayor. The regulations indicate if a Mayor does not propose a budget by Feb. 1 of each year, then Council shall prepare and adopt the budget for Burlington. However, City of Burlington staff recommended not waiting to develop a budget until February 2024 as doing so would mean losing the ability to tender capital projects early and take advantage of lower pricing. It is fiscally prudent to complete a budget for the following year by the end of the current year as it saves taxpayers money. In this new process, I shared my proposed budget with each member of Council, the municipal clerk, and the public (more details on that in my Oct. 30, 2023 post to my website).There have been many announcements made by the Province recently that have had profound effects on municipalities. This has understandably led to some confusion, due to the unusual amount of changes we are undergoing. For clarity’s sake, I’d like to highlight for Burlingtonians that our situation is not the same as smaller, neighbouring cities, whose mayors received a similar but different announcement on Aug. 21, 2023. Premier Ford announced at that time that strong mayor powers would be extended to 21 additional municipalities with populations less than 50,000 — provided their mayors ‘opted in’ by committing to a municipal housing target.In October 2023, an additional 18 municipalities that accepted their housing targets were granted strong mayor powers. There are three municipalities (New Tecumseth, Norfolk County and Haldimand County) that were offered the powers but declined to identify a housing target and ‘opt in’. Burlington does not fall into this category of cities and was not offered the opportunity to opt in.This is a new budgetary framework and municipal governance model we are now operating under. It will take time, patience, deliberation and understanding to adjust to. Despite the challenges of these changes, I will continue to put the priorities of our community first and foremost. This is what I have done in for the 2024 budget I proposed and that has been approved -- focusing on essentials, frontline service and planning for growth. The 2024 Budget has been responsive to community input and citizen feedback from the early planning stages, and it is true to the vision of Burlington I campaigned on.The 2024 Budget was still a collaborative one with my Council colleagues and our community -- that didn't change and will not change. Our budget process at City Hall this past month heard from many members of the public and included considerable amendments from all six of our Councillors. This year’s budget deliberations have been a thorough, democratic process resulting in a thoughtful, pragmatic budget.In the end, the "Mayor’s Budget" is truly a "Mayor and Council" budget, duly considered, amended, and voted on democratically, by all of Council - just like before.RELATED LINKS:

• Joint Statement from Mayor & Deputy Mayor for Strategy & Budgets: Joint Statement on Burlington’s 2024 Budget: Focusing on Essentials, Frontline Services & Planning for Future Growth
• City News Release: Burlington Council Finalizes Budget Focused on Essentials, Frontline Services & Preparing for Growth