More transit service, enhanced public safety, making roads safer and preserving residents' quality of life will remain priorities for the City of Mississauga in 2020.
Local government | June 26, 2019
More transit service, enhanced public safety, making roads safer and preserving residents’ quality of life will remain priorities for the City of Mississauga in 2020. That’s the takeaway from today’s Budget Committee meeting where staff introduced the preliminary 2020 – 2023 Business Plan and 2020 Budget.
The annual City Budget and Business Plan describes how the City plans to bring in revenue and invest taxpayer dollars to deliver the programs and services residents expect for the next four years. Together, the plans allow the City to focus on the Strategic Plan and provide the flexibility to manage changing citizen needs and expectations.
“In Mississauga, we strive to deliver exceptional programs and services for our residents while delivering value for money,”
said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Our City budget pays for the over 200 front-line services that our residents have come to rely on, everything from public transit to libraries, to snow clearing, fire and emergency services and more. At the same time, in order to reach our full potential as a world-class city, we need to make strategic investments to improve our roads, enhance public safety and grow our transit network. Council will continue to work to strike the right balance to ensure our residents can access high-quality services while keeping property taxes low and competitive. There will be several opportunities throughout the budgeting process for residents to get involved, have their voices heard and help shape the future of our city.”
The City’s operating budget includes revenues for 2020 along with the costs for ongoing programs and services such as public transit, parks, roads and building maintenance, snow clearing, recreation programs and libraries. It also outlines the projected costs for delivering these services in the upcoming years.
Early numbers show a possible 4.9 per cent increase to the City’s 2020 Operating Budget to cover inflation and new services. The estimate includes a one per cent contribution to the Public Safety Fire Program plus a two per cent infrastructure levy to help the City maintain existing roads, bridges and buildings and plan for their upkeep in the future.
The new services being proposed in the draft budget are:
Including increases from the Region of Peel, residents would see an overall property tax increase of 3.04 per cent while businesses would see a 1.85 per cent increase on their bills. While the proposed spending on the City’s priorities will likely make it into the final budget, over the next several months, staff will continue to refine the budget and look for ways to trim the proposed increases.
“In 2020, we face many of the same challenges as in past years – maintaining our infrastructure and current levels of service as well as adhering to changing provincial legislation,” said Janice Baker, City Manager and Chief Administrative Officer. “We continue to identify opportunities within the budget to further reduce the proposed tax rate. Staff consistently look for ways to streamline how we do business to keep Mississauga fiscally responsible. Our commitment is to continue to work with Council to provide value for tax dollars through cost savings and efficiencies.”
The next Budget Committee meeting is on October 2 where staff will discuss Fees and Charges. Detailed discussions continue on November 18, 19, 25, 26 and 27. Following committee discussions and public input, Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed budget on December 6.
Budget Committee meeting dates are subject to change.
Visit mississauga.ca/budget to learn how the City invests your tax dollars to provide services or follow the conversation on social media using #SaugaBudget.