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Your 2018 Ottawa city draft budget highlights:
Mayor Jim Watson revealed a draft 2018 budget on Wednesday that would fully deliver his tax promise for the term before he asks voters to send him back to Ottawa City Hall in the next municipal election.
Watson called his budget plan “balanced, affordable and progressive.”
He’s putting an emphasis on infrastructure maintenance outside of the transit portfolio with this draft budget.
Watson said the city would earmark an extra $12.6 million for infrastructure, such as roads, sidewalks, paths and parks. The extra $400,000 that was plugged into the 2017 budget for pothole repairs would be made permanent.
There would be more money for maintaining roads and other city assets, Watson said.
If the budget is approved by council on Dec. 13, property taxes in 2018 will increase by two per cent.
Watson was elected in 2014 for his second consecutive term as mayor on a promise to cap annual property tax increases at two per cent. Council bought into Watson’s tax pledge at the beginning of this four-year term. Watson has said he’ll seek re-election in the next municipal vote in October 2018.
Council’s committees and boards will challenge the budget estimates, invite feedback and send recommendations to council over the next five weeks.
ALSO: Board tables Ottawa police budget: $12 increase to taxpayer
Social services
There’s more money in this draft budget for social service agencies.
There will be an inflationary increase of three per cent for social service agencies, on top of a base funding increase, Watson said.
OC Transpo has found a way to introduce a deeply discounted EquiFare for low-income transit-system passengers, mirroring the discount program for the EquiPass monthly passes. The EquiFare would offer half-price single-ride fares.
Transpo would start 20 new bus routes and buy 17 more double-decker buses, Watson said.
The full transit budget, which will be the first to account for LRT operations, was scheduled to be tabled after the council meeting.
Recreation fees would increase two per cent.
The city receives nearly half of its operating revenue from property taxes. User fees and upper-tier government grants are the other two large sources of funds.
As of Wednesday, all 2018 budget proposals for city departments will be available for review and public scrutiny.
Library funding
On Tuesday, the Ottawa Public Library tabled a draft 2018 budget that proposes about $1.5 million more in spending. For the first time in 10 years, the library is proposing to add a full-time-equivalent staff position, which would help administer a new scheduling system. The extra money would also pay for salary increases and the acquisition of more library materials.
Public Health
Ottawa Public Health tabled its draft 2018 last week. The health unit anticipates receiving $305,000 more from the province for program costs shared with the city; it anticipates receiving another $415,000 from the city for those programs and others that are 100 per cent covered by the city. The province traditionally pays 75 per cent for provincially mandated programs run by OPH.
jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling
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- Property taxes proposed to increase two per cent;
- More focus on non-transit infrastructure, such as roads, after years of planning for LRT;
- A three per cent increase for social service agencies;
- New EquiFare for low-income transit passengers;
- Recreation fees would increase two per cent.
Mayor Jim Watson revealed a draft 2018 budget on Wednesday that would fully deliver his tax promise for the term before he asks voters to send him back to Ottawa City Hall in the next municipal election.
Watson called his budget plan “balanced, affordable and progressive.”
He’s putting an emphasis on infrastructure maintenance outside of the transit portfolio with this draft budget.
Watson said the city would earmark an extra $12.6 million for infrastructure, such as roads, sidewalks, paths and parks. The extra $400,000 that was plugged into the 2017 budget for pothole repairs would be made permanent.
There would be more money for maintaining roads and other city assets, Watson said.
If the budget is approved by council on Dec. 13, property taxes in 2018 will increase by two per cent.
Watson was elected in 2014 for his second consecutive term as mayor on a promise to cap annual property tax increases at two per cent. Council bought into Watson’s tax pledge at the beginning of this four-year term. Watson has said he’ll seek re-election in the next municipal vote in October 2018.
Council’s committees and boards will challenge the budget estimates, invite feedback and send recommendations to council over the next five weeks.
ALSO: Board tables Ottawa police budget: $12 increase to taxpayer
Social services
There’s more money in this draft budget for social service agencies.
There will be an inflationary increase of three per cent for social service agencies, on top of a base funding increase, Watson said.
OC Transpo has found a way to introduce a deeply discounted EquiFare for low-income transit-system passengers, mirroring the discount program for the EquiPass monthly passes. The EquiFare would offer half-price single-ride fares.
Transpo would start 20 new bus routes and buy 17 more double-decker buses, Watson said.
The full transit budget, which will be the first to account for LRT operations, was scheduled to be tabled after the council meeting.
Recreation fees would increase two per cent.
The city receives nearly half of its operating revenue from property taxes. User fees and upper-tier government grants are the other two large sources of funds.
As of Wednesday, all 2018 budget proposals for city departments will be available for review and public scrutiny.
Library funding
On Tuesday, the Ottawa Public Library tabled a draft 2018 budget that proposes about $1.5 million more in spending. For the first time in 10 years, the library is proposing to add a full-time-equivalent staff position, which would help administer a new scheduling system. The extra money would also pay for salary increases and the acquisition of more library materials.
Public Health
Ottawa Public Health tabled its draft 2018 last week. The health unit anticipates receiving $305,000 more from the province for program costs shared with the city; it anticipates receiving another $415,000 from the city for those programs and others that are 100 per cent covered by the city. The province traditionally pays 75 per cent for provincially mandated programs run by OPH.
jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling
查看原文...
