Barrie council heading for zero operating tax increase

Barrie’s councilors didn’t slouch when it came to making decisions around the table Wednesday evening.

The $342.6 million operating budget received another round of approval for its zero per cent increase by councillors.

If the budget is approved without an increase, there are concerns it will mean taxpayers will be on the hook for higher costs in the future.

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Infrastructure investment funding is expected to see a 2 per cent increase over 2023.

"What I wanted to do was to make  the things that we had committed to as a council, we were actually moving forward. If you're aren't allocating dollars to the priorities that you've identified, then they're not actually priorities," Mayor Alex Nuttall said.

The full budget with the police, county and library costs is set to have its final approval from council next week.

Transit

Councillors also ratified changes to the transit network.

Earlier this year, a subcommittee of council heard from staff on planned changes to city transit.

Phase Two of the new transit network was set to be rolled out next year.

However, staff are recommending prioritizing problem spots with Phase One first; including some frustrations with the Transit on Demand service that requires riders to book a custom ride in less-used spots of the city.

STEM Hub

And finally, the Lakehead STEM Hub was fully ratified by council.

Lakehead University, which currently has a campus in Orillia and a partnership with Georgian College in Barrie, will build a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) campus at the current Barrie Transit Hub on Maple Avenue, once it relocates to Allandale.

The university will offer programming across engineering and computer science disciplines, ideally setting graduates up for success in careers in Barrie's bustling manufacturing sector.

With files from CTV's Dana Roberts