The public has had its first chance to weigh in on Hamilton’s 2023 budget priorities.
Councillors heard from about a dozen residents on Monday, most of them representing organizations that regularly delegate on environmental, anti-poverty and housing issues.
Julia Kollek appeared on behalf of HATS, a group that is seeking $100,000 in annual support from the city to help address homelessness by temporarily erecting a community of tiny shelters in a vacant lot in the Barton and Sherman area.
Kollek told elected officials it’s a chance to “put your money where your values are.”
“If you care about people in your city, and they’re living unsheltered, here’s something you can do,” said Kollek.
Other delegates have requested that the city pay a “living wage,” currently calculated at $19.05 per hour in Hamilton, to summer students, who are the only employee group that falls short of that number.
“Take this consideration for the summer students, who have far more expenses than we have ever had,” said Anthony Marco of the Hamilton and District Labour Council, “and parents who cannot afford to pay for their kid’s tuition for two or three or four years without going massively into debt themselves.”
City council heads into 2023 budget discussions working to head off a potential tax increase of almost seven per cent next year, based on what is needed to maintain existing service levels.
General manager of finance Mike Zegarac recently presented councillors with that projection, citing numerous factors, including inflation and supply chain challenges.
The city also continues to be plagued by lower revenues from transit, recreation and other services, as the COVID-19 pandemic lingers and continues to negatively impact the bottom line.
In 2022, Hamilton’s residential tax hike was finalized at 2.8 per cent.
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