Whitby inviting residents to share priorities for the 2024 budget

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Published May 31, 2023 at 11:54 am

The Town of Whitby wants to hear what services are most important to residents as it launches community engagement in the build-up to the 2024 budget.

Between now and July 21, the community is invited to share budget priorities at connectwhitby.ca/budget. Through the site, residents can access the Town’s Citizen Budget Tool – a virtual budget simulator that shows the financial impacts of participants’ choices in real time.

The launch of the website and the Citizen Budget Tool are part of the first phase of the Town’s budget engagement process.

“The budget is more than a series of numbers and figures. It’s a reflection of our shared values and priorities. It affects the daily lives of our residents – from the quality of our infrastructure to the delivery of essential services. It’s important to share your feedback and let us know what matters to you,” said Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy.

Last year, nearly 3,500 people engaged in the Town’s Citizen Budget Tool. Top budget priorities identified by participants through the Tool included continuing the revitalization of the downtowns, creating more green spaces, and enhancing the quality of the Town’s indoor and outdoor facilities.

Earlier this year, more than 3,000 people shared their feedback to help inform the Vision, Objectives, and Strategic Pillars of Whitby’s new Community Strategic Plan, which will also help to inform the Town’s budget investments.

“Our community is growing, and fast, with many competing priorities for how we should invest in our future. We are also managing and planning for the continued and significant impacts of Ontario’s More Homes Built Faster Act (Bill 23) to our bottom line,” said Whitby CAO Matt Gaskell. “This means it’s more important than ever that we hear from our community about their budget priorities so that we can continue to prioritize investments in areas that are important to them.”

 

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