Spend More? Spend Less? Have your say on the City Budget

Mississauga’s online budget allocator has been updated for 2016 budgeting and is available starting today at mississauga.ca/budget.

Results from the allocator received by November 9 will be shared with Budget Committee November 23. The results will help inform Budget Committee’s review of the 2016 proposed Business Plan & Budget.

“The budget allocator is a great way for residents to learn about the cost of City services, and tell us about their priorities,” says Jeff Jackson, Director of Finance and Treasurer. “It helps get people thinking and involved in their City’s service planning and budgeting process.”

Budget Allocator Facts

Introduced for the 2015 budget, the online budget allocator lets residents “vote” for a spending option on selected City services.

From roads and recreation programs to fire and emergency services, City services touch people’s lives daily. Decisions about City services are what drive the budget. With the allocator, residents can experiment with different spending options and then choose one for each service area.

Updates to the budget allocator for the 2016 budget include:

• Expanding the service areas from eight to ten, and
• Expanding the spending options from three to five.

Budget Allocator Background

• The City of Mississauga introduced an online budget allocator tool in 2015 to
  • raise awareness of the budget process;
  • get residents thinking about the potential impacts of spending choices; and,
  • provide a way for residents to voice their opinions about the City’s plans and budget.
• The original allocator tool featured eight service areas, with three spending options for each service area. The updated version features ten service areas, with five spending options for each service area.
• About 2,000 people used the online budget allocator to express their preferences during 2015 budget preparation: initial results were shared with the Budget Committee February 3, 2015.

Learning About The Budget

• Clear information about the City budget and the budgeting process is available online at mississauga.ca/budget. Here, residents can learn a little or a lot.
• An overview of the 2016 Proposed Business Plan & Budget was presented to Budget Committee June 10, 2015
• The full 2016 Proposed Business Plan & Budget will be posted online November 12. Budget Committee deliberations are scheduled for November 23 – December 2, with a Council vote planned for December 9.

Getting Involved in Planning & Budgeting

• Have your say – try the budget allocator tool
• Have a question or comment – email us at budget@mississauga.ca
• Follow the City on Facebook and Twitter
• Attend or watch a Budget Committee meeting. All Budget Committee meetings are open to the public and are aired live on Rogers Cable 10. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for live updates during deliberations.