Some fees and transit fares could increase in Mississauga

 

The City of Mississauga is growing, and some fees and fares could increase as a result of that growth. 

The city recently announced that Mississauga's budget committee considered new and increased fees and charges for 2020 related to transit fares; Fire and Emergency Services; planning; library services; culture programs and rental rates; transportation and works; recreation programs and rental rates; parks, forestry and environment and general fees and charges. 

The city says these revenue sources will help offset the cost of delivering these services.

A number of proposed changes are highlighted in the budget committee reports.

Some increases that have been proposed include a slight increase to the MiWay cash fare (single adult). The city is actively encouraging Presto migration, but those who still prefer to pay cash can expect fares to potentially climb from $3.75 to $4.00 (a 6.7 per cent increase). 

The Presto fare will remain at $3.10. 

The city says residents could see fees charged for motor vehicle collisions and other speciality calls based on the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) fee schedule. The MTO raised its billable rates by 2.5 per cent. Fees for those incidents have been adjusted to reflect the increase.

The city says the dog/puppy and cat/kitten adoption fee is moving to a flat fee of $243.25 per dog/puppy adoption, $165.25 per kitten adoption (0-3 years) and $81 per cat adoption (3-7 years) to simplify the process. 

Additional revenue of approximately $1.8 million is expected from the increases and new fees, as outlined in the Oct 2, 2019, budget committee reports.  

The city says these increases will alleviate some pressures on the property tax rate in 2020—which will likely relieve some homeowners. 

The proposed fees and charges will be presented at a council meeting for approval on October 9, 2019.

The next budget committee meeting (which will be open to the public) is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 18, 2019. 

The full schedule of meetings is available online at Council and Committees Calendar Listings.