Councilors began deliberating on Monday a 2023 operating budget for the City of Brantford of $182 million, which would see the average residential tax bill rise 3.53 per cent, or $121.08.
The tax increase is based on the average residential home with an assessed 2016 value of $285,000, not the current market value, said City of Brantford treasurer Joelle Daniels.
The average commercial tax increase stands at 0.93 per cent; the average industrial tax increase 1.33 per cent; and the average multi-residential tax increase at 0.02 per cent.
Councilors have several meetings scheduled to discuss the budget and could add or remove costs.
This year’s operating budget is 2.6 per cent higher than the $177.6-million budget that was approved by council in 2021.
Daniels said significant budget drivers for city-controlled services include inflation amounting to $6.8 million. Those include base wage and benefit increases; transportation costs (fleet and fuel) and contractual increases tied to the Consumer Price Index.
Other budget drivers are “unmet needs” in various city departments and debt servicing for the new city hall, which total $2.1 million.
Among the costs for city services are:
- $50 million for public works (up $5 million from 2022).
- $21 million for fire services (up $687,000).
- $16.5 million for community services and social development (up $40,000).
- $12.9 million for corporate financing (down $1.8 million).
- $12.2 million for people, legislated services and planning (up $735,000).
- $818,000 for executive and legislative services (up $46,000).
The city also funds a number of local boards, including:
- Police services, which has a 2023 budget of $44.6 million, an increase of $3.2 million over 2022. This includes $785,000 for the hiring of seven new administrative staff members – an equity, diversity and inclusion specialist; a corporate communications coordinator; a freedom of information and protection of privacy coordinator; a senior IT programmer; a policy analyst/training administration support; a constable – training unit; and a criminal intelligence analyst.
- John Noble Home, which has a budget of $1.88 million, up $60,000 over 2022.
- Brantford Public Library, which has a budget of $5.1 million, up $195,000 from 2022.
- Brant County Health Unit, which has a budget of $3 million, up $167,000 over 2022.
- Paramedic services, which has a budget of $5.6 million, up $499,000 over 2022.
While the estimates committee made no changes to the budget at Monday’s meeting, it did refer the police budget back to the Brantford police services board for reconsideration. While the city has no control over the police budget, it can ask the police board to consider making changes. Some councilors had concerns about the hiring of seven administrative staff members in a single year.
“Seven hundred thousand dollars could certainly fund a number of officers on the street,” said Coun. Dan McCreary.
Staff from various city departments will present their budgets at upcoming meetings. Some will pitch “unmet needs,” which councilors will consider funding.
Among those are:
- The hiring of a stormwater technologist, which would increase the 2023 budget by $70,000 and have an ongoing annual cost of $100,000.
- A commercial façade/mixed use building improvement grant, which would increase the 2023 budget by $100,000 and have an ongoing annual cost of $100,000.
- The hiring of a project manager for real estate development for a three-year contract, which would increase the 2023 budget by $68,000 and have an ongoing annual cost of $133,000.
- At 10th anniversary event at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Center at a cost of $25,000.
The estimates committee also was presented with the findings of a 2023 budget priorities engagement campaign, which included an online survey and telephone survey of Brantford residents.
Among the key findings of the surveys were:
- About 54 per cent of online respondents and 68 per cent of phone respondents were satisfied with city programs and services.
- More than half of the telephone (58 per cent) and 50 per cent of online respondents supported increasing taxes slightly or significantly and, respectively, increasing or maintaining service levels.
- More than half of online and phone respondents were in favor of increasing service levels for social assistance/homelessness, Brantford-Brant paramedics, and housing.
- The consensus across all discretionary spending areas was mostly positive in both the phone and online samples. The only exceptions were opposition toward the municipal golf course (53 per cent in the phone sample) and opposition to Brantford Airport (59 per cent) and the municipal golf course (74 per cent) in the online sample.
- At least half of online respondents were opposed to increasing or adding new user fees for Brantford Transit and Lift (63 per cent); access to street parking (50 per cent) and access to parks and recreational facilities (50 per cent). The greatest opposition among phone respondents was increasing/new user fees for Brantford Transit and Lift (62 per cent) and access to parks and recreation facilities (63 per cent).