City of Barrie finalizes 2022 budget with 2.94 per cent property tax increase
The City of Barrie finalized its second pandemic budget, packed with a property tax increase of 2.94 per cent.
Mayor Jeff Lehman calls the outcome reasonably balanced.
"I'm sure, for some, 2.9 won't be a welcome number, but the reality is with inflation today, the city's costs are actually rising faster than that," he said.
The increase works out to $132 more per year for the average residential home.
There's another bump for water and wastewater bills. In all, residents are looking at an extra $156 a year.
Lehman said he's glad council didn't have to make any service cuts this budget.
Instead, it made some additions, such as a new library branch in the Holly area for the southwest end, plus the addition of four new bylaw officers.
Barrie Police Services got the most significant slice of the budget pie, with a spending bump of 2.88 per cent.
The police service accounts for roughly 15 per cent of the City's costs.
"I think we need to take a good, hard look at the Barrie police budget going forward and look at ways we can reinvest some of those funds into upstream solutions," said Councillor Keenan Aylwin.
The City also focused on expanding road capacity.
Highlights from the 2022 budget include:
- Construction of a new Bryne Drive connection from Harvie Road to north of Caplan Avenue
- Resurfacing 6.3 km of roads and replacing 5 km of roads
- Bunkers Creek Culverts and Watercourse Improvements (Innisfil Street to Lakeshore Drive)
- Continuation of Mapleview Drive East Improvements (Country Lane to Yonge Street)
- Funding to reopen the Georgian Theatre in 2022
- Substantial funding increase to the County of Simcoe for housing and homelessness prevention
- Aerial spray to prevent LDD moths in city woodlots for 2022 and 2023
- New permanent traffic calming measures to create safer roads
The City's operating budget for 2022 is $392 million, with a capital budget of $346 million.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.