Barrie budget deliberations continue Thursday
There certainly was a lot of back and forth tonight as Barrie city councillors officially dove into the 2023 budget.
City councillors approved an amendment to cancel the newly created stormwater climate action fund, saying now was not the time to invest in the new program.
"There's a reason that a previous council didn't say yes at the time and immediately put it into the budget and left it for someone else. I'll let you deduct or deduce whatever that reason is but there's a reason. There's a reason it was left on the plate of the 11 people around the table here because there's nothing fun about an 8 per cent tax increase," said Mayor Alex Nuttall, Barrie mayor.
The program approved by the previous council was meant to help fund stormwater management operations, creating a separate fund adding nearly $130 annually to the average homeowner. Now those funds will revert back to coming from the tax levy.
Councillors were also addressing transit, passing an amendment that would protect seniors from an upcoming increase to transit fares.
"In the intake form, we weren't forecasting to bring an increase in any fares this year; it was 2024. But because of the economic state, it is being bumped up a year. Having been on the seniors' advisory committee over the last year and involved in the age-friendly community plan, transportation was one of the key contingencies around an accessible city," said Counc. Anne-Marie Kungl.
City councillors also brought forth a new amendment in regards to helping with costs for staff overtures that were from 2022 but pushed over to this year's budget.
By the end of the night, Barrie's director of finance Craig Millar said, "So for city operations, we started at 0.88 per cent per the amendments tonight we are now down to zero per cent,"
Budget deliberations continue Thursday with a focus on the capital plan.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.