Ryan Holdaway on Unsplash
On July 13, Regional Council approved Halton Region’s Budget Directions Report, laying the foundation for keeping taxes at or below the inflation rate in 2023.
Even with low tax increases, the region will continue investing in critical programs and services that meet the needs of our community.
The Report maintains the priority to ensure the property tax rate increase is targeted not to exceed 3 per cent and the water and wastewater rate increase is targeted not to exceed 4.1 per cent.
Property taxes not to exceed 3 per cent, and the water and wastewater rate increase is targeted not to exceed 4.1 per cent.
"Halton Region has maintained a strong financial position throughout the challenges of COVID-19 and through the pandemic recovery," said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr.
"This ultimately positions the Region to minimize the financial impacts on residents and businesses while delivering high-quality programs and services that support the health and well-being of all members of the Halton community."
The key priorities for the 2023 budget include:
Public Health – an ongoing focus on the COVID-19 response, continuing vaccination needs and requirements and supporting the Public Health’s pandemic recovery.
This includes the revitalization of Public Health services that have been suspended during the pandemic, such as catch-up of grade seven immunizations.
Budgetary impacts include uncertainties in additional funding from the Province to offset costs.
Waste Management – investments in key initiatives that will extend the lifespan of the Halton Waste Management Site, increase waste diversion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
It also includes ongoing planning for the transition of the Blue Box program to full producer responsibility in 2025 and monitoring the impacts of COVID-19 on the amount of solid waste material being generated.
Road Operations – investment in expanding the road maintenance program to ensure the state-of-good repair of our roads and to support the expansion of the Region’s transportation infrastructure to accommodate growth.
Housing Services – investment for the Halton Rental Assistance Program (HRAP) due to an unprecedented increase in households in the shelter system related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Services for Seniors – making investments that support more direct hours of care for residents in long-term care—also responding to increasing costs associated with additional staffing due to funding limitations.
Employment & Social Services – supporting the provincial government’s transformation of employment support services, including a new service delivery model to meet the local economy's needs.
Paramedic Services – maintaining existing service levels while addressing increased costs associated with inflation, call volumes, response times, population, and other growth pressures.
Children’s Services – investments to increase quality, accessibility, affordability and inclusivity in early learning and child care based on the Federal and Provincial Government’s Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) Agreement.
Digital Strategy – continuing to invest in expanding the delivery of digital services to the community. This includes investments in digital technology to support decision-making and delivery of the most requested customer-facing services digitally.
Throughout the budget planning process, there will be a continued focus on finding cost efficiencies across all areas to achieve these targets.
The 2023 Budget and Business Plan is scheduled for Regional Council review on Jan. 18, 2023, and approval on Jan. 25, 2023.
To learn more about Regional finances, please visit the Finance and Transparency page on halton.ca.
