Along with a good dose of town cheerleading and a dollop of reassurance for residents worried about the pace of Oakville's growth, Mayor Rob Burton's 17th annual State of the Town address also sent some public messages to the federal and provincial governments.
During the 32-minute speech delivered in the town's council chambers on Sept. 25, Burton encouraged the Ontario government to free the town from its relationship with Halton.
"I know Oakville will have a more efficient and effective future if we are a single-tier municipality," he said, praising the provincial government's plan to task a legislative committee with studying existing two-tier governments.
The current system, which sees Oakville share some services with Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills in a two-tier municipal structure, is dangerous to the town's independence, Burton added.
"As long as Oakville remains linked with other nearby municipalities in a two-tier structure, we risk a future amalgamation into a city of Halton."
Burton applauded the "new and welcome collaborative approach" indicated by Paul Calandra, the province's new Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Calandra recently replaced Steve Clark, who was forced to resign as a result of the Greenbelt scandal.
Burton said he hopes the new minister will work with municipalities to "move the burden of the cost of growth where it belongs," although he wasn't specific about where that should be.
"There are better ways to finance growth than taxes on existing homes and fees on new ones," he said.
"Very tough decisions"
He also warned that the cost of growth will add to the stress on the town's 2024 budget, suggesting that Oakville residents should expect a higher-than-normal tax increase for the coming year.
"I have to say that keeping our overall tax increase at or below inflation is going to be challenging for the 2024 budget," said Burton. "I think there's going to be some very tough decisions in front of us."
Burton also used his address to publicly encourage the federal government to move forward with proposed electoral boundary changes.
Those changes would divide Oakville into two full ridings, with the Sixteen Mile Creek splitting voters into Oakville East and Oakville West.
"Oakville needs two electoral ridings," he said, noting that Ottawa's delay in enacting the new ridings "threatens fair representation" for the town in the next federal and provincial elections.
Read more: Proposed new ridings will change the town's political landscape
Burton also appeared to use his address to respond to an Oakville News opinion piece by a dissatisfied transit rider.
The rider, who reported that buses were continuously running behind schedule, complained that she received no response from Oakville Transit when she contacted them.
"We want Oakville transit to work for you," said Burton, extending the invitation for the rider or other residents to call him directly at 905-330-1500 on his phone.
“When you want to discuss any aspect of local government, I like to hear from you. It's important to me to know what's on your mind.” Burton added that the town's growth brings opportunities to make the town a better place to live.
For residents who have long asked for traffic light synchronization, he announced that a pilot project will soon begin at select major intersections. "Our goal is always to grow more livable. We aim to benefit from growth.”