Whitby Town Council approved the town’s 2022 budget on Thursday night.
The approved budget will result in a 2.2 per cent increase or an estimated 0.8 per cent increase on the overall residential bill for town services.
The 2022 budget includes a $153.3 million operating budget that will support the delivery of a wide range of programs and services including fire services, waste collection, parks and trails, maintenance of roads and community facilities, recreation, libraries and many other important services. The budget also includes funding for one new staff position and corporate training to support the recommendations of the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism) Project, said a town statement.
Announced 2022 Durham Tax Increases
3.89% – Uxbridge
2.6% – Durham Region
2% – Scugog
2.2% – Whitby
1.99% – Clarington
1.85% – Oshawa
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The approved budget also includes a $71.9 million capital budget to support new infrastructure required due to growth and keep existing infrastructure in a state of good repair. The approved capital budget includes priorities residents shared were important to them through the town’s budget engagement process earlier this year, like:
- $7.5 million in Whitby’s green spaces and the waterfront, including:
- upgrades to the Waterfront Trail – Corbett Marsh Boardwalk, Corbett Creek Bridge;
- opening of Des Newman WhitBee and Micklefield Parks in 2022;
- a dedicated Waterfront Garbage Clean-up Crew;
- construction funding for Chelsea Hill and Lazy Dolphin parks, to be opened in 2023; and
- funding and redevelopment of Grass and King Street Parks.
- Nearly $10 million in roads to improve connectivity and safety, including:
- investments in road safety and traffic calming, and various signalization projects, including signals at Thickson Road and Glengowan Street, Baldwin and Canary Streets
- new and improved multi-use path and sidewalk connections; and
- a road resurfacing program that includes:
- Dryden Boulevard (from Thickson Road to Oshawa)
- Canadian Oaks Drive (from Thickson Road to Citation Crescent)
- Citation Crescent
- Des Newman Boulevard (from Taunton Road to Twin Streams Road).
- Investments in recreation, including:
- the completion of the Civic Recreation Complex renovations by the end of 2022, including new accessible family or universal change room space; and
- the purchase of additional land for the Whitby Sports Complex and finalization of designs for a larger facility in 2022; construction planned for 2023
To support local job creation and the continued revitalization of Whitby’s downtowns, the approved budget also includes:
- Community Improvement Plan and My Main Street grants for local businesses,
- the continued implementation of the Town’s Economic Development Strategy,
- the implementation of the Town’s Placemaking Program and Culture Plan,
- parking lot reconstruction at Green Street and Colborne Street East; and
- the installation of CCTV cameras and equipment in the Downtown Whitby area.
To support low-income seniors and low-income homeowners with disabilities, the town’s tax rebate program has been increased by 15.5 per cent (from $400 to $462) in 2022 and will be indexed annually.
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