If there’s ever a time to find ways to reduce the city budget, it’s now. That’s the approach of Mayor Cam Guthrie, who hopes the proposed 3.52 per cent property tax increase for 2021 doesn’t stick.
“The financial reality of those that have to pay for it is really top-of-mind for me,” he said of the draft budget, released on Thursday. “If there’s ever a year we’re looking to reduce the budget impact, it’s this year.”
City staff is proposing a $463.4 million operating budget, of which taxes and payment-in-lieu of taxes will be needed to cover nearly $267.8 million.
“The impacts of the pandemic are pervasive to the City’s services and will require us to look at how we deliver services, assess the permanency of social and legislative impacts, and plan for an extended recovery period that may take as long as five years,” states a city staff budget report.
“For 2021, staff is proposing to continue managing variances related to COVID-19 through expense mitigation strategies, shifting work plan priorities, and temporary reductions in service to offset the revenue loss.”
Thanks to a $12 million grant from the province, and various budget mitigation efforts implemented by council and staff earlier in the year in response to the pandemic, contingency reserves have been left “intact,” budget documents indicate, and the city is “well positioned financially to face the uncertainties in 2021.”
Staff say the budget increase is needed to maintain current service levels for city operations as well as local boards and shared service partners. Of the proposed increase, 1.2 per cent is attributable to those boards and shared service partners such as Guelph Public Library, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, social services via Wellington County, Guelph Police Service, Downtown Business Association and the Elliot long-term care centre.
“Those are things that are out of our control,” said Guthrie.
The draft budget also includes several new budget requests totalling $1.35 million. Six new staff positions are included in that. Among the others are:
Red light cameras - $112,400, with equal revenue
Emergency funding for community groups - $350,000
Bi-weekly yard waste collection at the curb (April-Nov.) - $141,000
Tourism Guelph grant - $$350,000
Closed captioning for streamed city council meetings - $30,000.
“It’s all hands on deck,” Guthrie said of finding ways to bring down the budget. “I really am looking forward to hearing ideas from the 12 councillors.”
Ideas from residents are welcome too, he noted.
Budget documents were posted on the city website’s budget page, guelph.ca/budget, Thursday afternoon.
The draft budget will be officially presented to council during its Nov. 17 meeting beginning at 9 a.m. Council will hear from delegates on Nov. 25, starting at 6 p.m., with consideration of approval set for a special meeting on Dec. 1, with a 2 p.m. start time.
All three meetings will be live-streamed at guelph.ca/live.
If needed, an additional special council meeting is scheduled for Dec. 3 at 2 p.m.
The deadline to register as a delegate for council’s Nov. 25 meeting is 10 a.m. on Nov. 20. Visit guelph.ca/city-hall/budget-and-finance/city-budget/budget-delegations.
