Residents can have their say on the City of Peterborough’s draft 2023 budget at next week’s city council meeting.
The city says a public meeting for delegations to city council on the municipal draft budget will be held starting at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 9 prior to city council’s first of a series of finance committee meetings Jan. 16 to 19.
The entire draft 2023 budget is available at peterborough.ca/budget. The budget is expected to be approved at council’s Jan. 30 meeting after being first presented on Dec. 5, 2022.
To register as a delegation, use the online form at peterborough.ca/delegation or call the city clerk’s office at 705-742-7777 ext. 1820. Delegates must be registered by 11 a.m. on Jan. 9.
The draft budget includes a proposed four per cent increase in the all-inclusive property tax rate. The city says the proposed increase would equate to an additional $5.63 monthly or an additional $67.61 annually per $100,000 of residential assessment.
The budget is allocating $326.6 million for programs and services such as waste management, road maintenance, wastewater sewers and treatment, social assistance, affordable housing, recreation, arts and heritage, fire services and policing.
Another $131.2 million is dedicated to 134 infrastructure and capital projects such as road work, a household organic waste composting facility and collection equipment, flood reduction efforts, facility maintenance, funding for the planned replacement of a fire station, sanitary sewer repairs, construction of a new twin-pad arena and police capital projects.
Other highlights:
- The Peterborough Police Services Board 2023 operating budget request is four per cent or $1,127,453, higher than in 2022. The police capital requests for 2023 total $1,239,400 and are in addition to the four per cent request in the operating budget.
- A separate report has been written by the commissioner of community services detailing homelessness budget considerations. The report contains staff recommendations for consideration by the finance committee with different financial implications for the 2023 budget depending on city council’s direction.
- The draft 2023 budget features a city contribution to Peterborough Public Health of $1,357,100, a one per cent increase over the 2022 contribution. However, the health unit has requested an amount of $1,644,880, an increase of 22.41 per cent.
City treasurer Richard Freymond says it’s a “balancing act” between keeping housing rates down while also providing city services.
“When we combine all of these services together and the priorities of council and trying to balance that with affordability and what can taxpayer pay — that (four per cent) was the balancing point,” he said “That was the range we felt was fair.”
He says inflation is impacting homeowners and the city alike.
“We’re trying to grapple with that as well and that’s putting additional budget pressures in our document for 2023,” he said.
The Jan. 9 meeting will be livestreamed on the city’s website.
— with files from Sam Houpt/Global News Peterborough
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