The city is asking for resident input for the 2025 budget without presenting an actual budget for our review.
If you go to the city engagment site and start the survey you’ll see this paragraph.
“As we plan this year’s budget, we’re facing inflation, much like our residents and local businesses. Our 2025 forecast predicts a total tax increase of 5.5%, with 1% for Halton Region services, 4.5% for Burlington services, and no change for education. The city’s tax increase is expected to slow down in the coming years as we reach a more sustainable financial position.”
The city is using this statement to pretend an 8.9%, Burlington-only, property tax increase is somehow 4.5%. When you put half the bill up by 8.9%, half of our tax bill goes to Burlington, the impact of this on the total bill is the 4.5% number the city wants us to think is their increase. The Halton increase will be in the 3% range but Halton is only 1/3 of our tax bill so using the same convoluted logic the city is saying that is a 1% increase.
The city has been talking about their tax increase in terms of the total bill since 2022 by using terms like “the impact of our increase” is 4.5%.
Here are the tax increases for the last three years.
The 8.04% proposed increase shown in the table above is the latest number from the city and is a reduction from the 8.9% staff requested in the financial “needs” and multi-year forecast document presented to our council in June of 2024.
Please consider signing this petition.
https://change.org/burlington2025