Guelph Council will do everything it can to bring the overall budget figure for 2024 down to a reasonable number, the city’s mayor says.
Mayor Cam Guthrie made the remarks after councillors got their first look at the multi-year budget on Tuesday.
City staff are asking for a 10.32 per cent increase in 2024 which would result in property owners having to pay an additional $450 for every $407,000 of assessment.
“I’m concerned about affordability as well,” Guthrie said. “I’m taking that lens into the entire budget discussions.”
There were some steps being taken to further reduce the budget impact on ratepayers. Some of the capital projects that were in the works in the next four years have been either reduced in scope or are being put off until at least 2028. They include the widening of York Road east of Victoria Road South, upgrades to Guelph Central Station, and the implementation of the parks and recreation master plan.
Guthrie said that he understands the sticker-shock reaction that he has received from residents on the proposed budget but added that there are some things that council has no control over, like the PILL (Provincial Impacts Local Levy), which covers housing, hospital, and homelessness.
“We are mandated to have those budgets flow through,” Guthrie said.
The City of Guelph issued a news release on Friday coinciding with the release of the draft budget. It broke down the sources of the overall budget increase: 4.97 per cent from the city; 1.98 per cent from local boards and services; and 3.37 per cent from the province.
Council did agree to hold a workshop on Nov. 22 to see how it can further reduce the burden on the taxpayer.
“For that motion to be passed unanimously, I was very pleased to see that,” Guthrie said. “I’ve been trying to see if we can get all this aligned to try to see all the options for us to consider to lower this impact.”