More money for police, water means tax hike for Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Halton Hills residents
Published January 27, 2023 at 10:33 am
Taxpayers in Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills will have to reach a little deeper into their wallets this year.
At a meeting earlier this week, Halton Regional Council approved a property tax increase of 3.4 per cent this year.
Aimed at addressing the key priorities identified by Council, this year’s budget includes a 3.0 per cent property tax increase for Regional services and a 4.0 per cent increase for the Halton Regional Police Service.
Also included is a rate increase of 4.1 per cent for water and wastewater services.
Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr says the 2023 Budget responds to key needs in the community despite significant economic pressures and changing service demands as COVID-19 recovery continues.
“Once again – and for more than 20 years – we have delivered a strong budget that keeps property taxes at or below the rate of inflation for Regional services while investing in the critical services and infrastructure the people of Halton need,” said Carr. “Our responsible approach to spending has earned the Region a AAA/Aaa credit rating for more than 30 years.
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“I’d like to thank Council and staff for continuing to uphold Halton’s strong long-term financial position while delivering value for tax and rate payers despite increasing economic pressures.”
Some of the key investments in the 2023 Budget include:
Public Health: $344,000 investment to support emerging needs in the community post-pandemic.
Paramedic Services: $1.3 million investment including additional full-time paramedics to address pressures related to increased call volumes.
Services for Seniors: $1.6 million investment for additional personal support workers to provide increased direct care hours to residents in the Region’s three Long-Term Care homes.
Housing Services: $2.4 million increased investment to support assisted housing, rent supplement, and homelessness prevention programs.
Children’s Services: continued implementation of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Childcare Plan – known as $10/day childcare.
Halton Region Community Investment Fund (HRCIF): $250,000 increased investment to meet new and emerging community needs with services provided by non-profit organizations in Halton. The HRCIF now totals $4.0 million.
State-of-Good-Repair Program: $7.9 million increased investment to support the water and wastewater state-of-good-repair capital program, and $1.0 million increased investment to support the transportation capital program.
Property tax bills include Regional services, Halton Regional Police Services, Provincial education taxes and Local Municipal services. For 2023, the property tax impact for Regional services is 3.0 per cent, the Halton Regional Police Service tax impact is 4.0 per cent, and the Provincial education tax impact is 0 per cent. The total 2023 property tax bill increase will be final when your Local Municipal services budget is approved by your respective Local Municipal Councils.
For more about Halton Region’s 2023 Budget and Business Plan, please visit the Budget and Business Plan page on halton.ca.
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