Town staff on Sunday presented Whitby Council with a recommended budget target of 6.5 per cent budget increase or an estimated 2.3 per cent residential tax bill increase for town services.
Whitby Town Council, however, provided direction to staff to prepare the 2024 budget with a 5 per cent budget increase, said a town statement.
It said a 5 per cent budget increase equates to a 1.8 per cent tax bill increase or an increase of approximately 29* cents per day, per household for the delivery of important services residents rely on every day, like waste collection, snow clearing, and parks maintenance.
Whitby had a 2 per cent tax increase in 2023.
Clarington, another municipality to announce 2024 budget plans, has announced 4.2 per cent increase in municipal property tax each year from 2024 until 2027 (see below).
As a next step, Whitby town staff will refine service levels, programs, and investments in the proposed 2024 budget in order to present a budget that meets the budget target goal by January 2024.
Proposed investments will consider community feedback collected through both the Community Strategic Plan engagement and the Town’s Citizen Budget Tool – a budget simulator that encouraged residents to share their budget priorities and create their own ideal budget. Collectively, the engagements saw more than 20,000 people engaged, with priorities focused on Whitby’s downtowns, green spaces, and indoor and outdoor facilities, including recreational spaces, said the statement.
New to the town’s budget engagement, the 2024 Citizen Budget Tool incorporated a participatory budget question, which asked residents to select one of five possible priorities that they would dedicate $100,000 towards. Family physician recruitment, economic development and job creation, and traffic calming were selected as the top priorities. As a result, a $100,000 investment in Family Physician Recruitment was included in the budget target recommended by staff, it added.
Next steps in the 2024 Budget planning process are:
- January 22: Release of proposed 2024 budget online at ConnectWhitby.ca/Budget
- January 22 to February 7: Virtual 2024 budget Forum at ConnectWhitby.ca/Budget for community input on proposed 2024 budget
- January 29: 2024 Budget outlook update and council education session
- February 5: Public meeting for community input on proposed 2024 budget
- February 15: Special Council Meeting for final approval of the town’s 2024 budget
* Approximately 29 cents per day (or $105 per year) is based on the 2023 average residential assessment value of $503,000 as determined by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.
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