London, Ont., city council officially passed the 2023 portion of the multi-year budget Tuesday.
The passed budget will see the tax levy increase in London by 3.1 per cent. This means an increase of $98 on a property tax bill for the average London home valued at $241,000 in 2019.
The total operating budget for 2023 is now set at $1.12 billion, with capital spending at $447.7 million.
Passing the bylaw for the 2023 portion represents the final year in the current multi-year budget that started in 2020.
Mayor Josh Morgan thanked budget chair Elizabeth Peloza and city staff for the work they put into the 2023 portion of the budget.
“It is quite the endeavour. I have done it a number of times in the past,” Morgan said.
The budget passed was virtually unchanged from the agreed-upon budget set at the strategic priorities and policy committee meeting on Jan. 26. The only change came from an amendment proposed by councillors Skylar Franke and David Ferreira.
The amendment prevented the reduction of public washroom hours at Dundas Place. City staff had planned to reduce hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. down to 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
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“We have an increasing population, a lot of people struggling out on the street, and just the general population at large walking around,” said Ferreira before council voted on the amendment.
“Reducing the hours just doesn’t make sense.”
To fund the around $300,000 cost of maintaining the service, the amendment pulls from the economic development reserve fund. This means the amendment did not affect the tax levy.
As London operates with a multi-year budget, once the four-year budget is set for year one, the process for adjustments in years two, three and four is through making amendments.
Earlier this year, council agreed to all nine staff-recommended amendments and a further six amendments that were for consideration.
Some of the notable staff recommended amendments include $6.5 million in budget savings found by municipal departments, IT cybersecurity increases for city hall to the tune of $1 million, and $1.8 million in new funding for a portable housing benefit and staffing resources for the city’s Roadmap to 3,000 Affordable Units Action Plan.
One amendment for consideration that did not fully pass was a change to sidewalk maintenance. While councillors agreed to cutbacks on streetlights and annual walkway maintenance, a reduction to snow removal was rejected by a 9-5 vote.
The proposal, which would have saved $740,000, would have resulted in sidewalks not needing to be cleared until eight centimetres of snow had fallen instead of the previously approved five centimetres. The provincial minimum for clearing snow is eight centimetres within 48 hours of snowfall.
The largest amendment in the for-consideration portion will not impact the resident tax levy.
The Humane Society of London and Middlesex requested $3 million through the London Community Grants Program to help construct a new animal campus.
After the budget was passed, Peloza offered her gratitude to everyone who was part of the budget process.
“I wanted to thank the public, staff and colleagues for the 2023 budget process and your help throughout it,” Peloza said.
“I look forward to the multi-year budget that comes next.”
The 2024-2027 multi-year budget planning is scheduled to begin in May.
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