On December 16, 2020, Halton Regional Council approved Halton’s 2021 Budget and Business Plan, which details the Region’s strategic investments in critical programs and services and continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The 2021 Budget and Business Plan achieves our goal of investing in programs and services and keeping taxes at or below the rate of inflation,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “While these strategic investments that maintain and enhance our services are critical, the COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented situation that has impacted all areas of our community. This year’s Budget ensures we can continue to deliver the program and services that our residents and businesses rely on and provide the supports our community needs to stay safe and healthy throughout the pandemic.”
The 2021 Budget achieves Council’s objective to keep property tax increases at or below the rate of inflation, with a 1.5 per cent property tax increase for Regional services. When combined with a 2.5 per cent tax increase for the Halton Regional Police Service, the overall Regional property tax increase is 1.8 per cent. The Budget also includes a utility rate increase of 2.6 per cent for water and wastewater services. In keeping with Halton’s fiscally responsible approach to financial planning, the Budget includes a commitment to continuous improvement and identify savings and efficiencies to provide value for taxpayers.
Some of the key investments include:
- COVID-19 Response: $12.3 million for additional costs in Public Health, Paramedic Services, Long-Term Care and Housing, as well as facility and technology-related costs, with strategic investments to meet ongoing staffing requirements. The majority of this investment is funded by the Federal and Provincial Safe Restart Agreement and additional Provincial funding, resulting in a net cost to taxpayers of $1.2 million;
- State-of-Good-Repair program: $8.0 million increase in transfers to support the water and wastewater state-of-good-repair capital program;
- Strategic Investments: $2.5 million to support the objectives, outcomes and actions identified in the Region’s 2019–2022 Strategic Business Plan, and address pressures driven by growth and increased demand for services;
- Children’s Services: $1.0 million to maintain the current number of subsidized child care spaces as a result of provincial funding reductions; and
- Halton Region Community Investment Fund: $500,000 to meet new and emerging community needs, pivot to virtual service delivery models, respond to public health directives and address Community Safety and Well-Being issues.
To learn more about Halton’s 2021 Budget and Business Plan, please visit halton.ca.