Burlington City Council approves 2021 budget: 2.50 per cent overall tax increase to deliver the city services residents and businesses value

City Council approves 2021 budget


Burlington, Ont. – March 4, 2021—Burlington City Council has approved the city’s 2021 operating budget. Combined with a budget increase from Halton Region and no change to education taxes, the overall tax increase is 2.50 per cent or $18.99 per $100,000 of a home’s current value assessment. The city’s budget increase is 4.14 per cent.

The 2021 budget focuses on:

  • Sustaining city services, including:
    • Additional resources to support ongoing and growing workloads in forestry and road maintenance
    • Additional funding for on-going recreation facility maintenance as well as the conversion of part-time staffing to full-time
    • Additional resource to support and enhance community engagement.
  • Managing community growth, including:
    • Funding to carry out the comprehensive review of the zoning bylaw
    • Funding to complete area specific planning for the Major Transit Station Areas (MTSA) around the three GO stations in Burlington
    • Additional resources to enhance the delivery of development review and building services.

  • Enhancing services, including:
    • A continuation of the free transit service for seniors pilot program, Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
    • A continuation of the plumbing grant program that provides financial assistance for basement flood prevention work.

  • Modifications to services to address COVID-19, including:
    • The introduction of new parking measures at Beachway Park and Lowville Park
    • Additional bylaw enforcement officers, funded by Halton Region, to assist with the enforcement of COVID-19 public health measures.

COVID-19 financial impacts
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is expected to continue placing considerable pressure on the city’s financial position in 2021. A decrease in revenues from recreation programs, facility rentals, transit fares and modifications to the operation of services to protect the health and safety of residents are anticipated to result in a projected 2021 revenue impact of $12.3 million.

To help offset the anticipated financial impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, a total of $5.7 million in one-time mitigation measures has been incorporated into the 2021 operating budget, including a redirection of the 1.25% Infrastructure Renewal Levy ($2.18 million). In addition, $6,617,577 in funding from the provincial/federal Safe Restart Agreement will be used towards 2021 financial COVID-19 impacts.

2021 property tax relief program
At a special meeting of Council on March 3, City Council approved a 2021 COVID-19 Property Tax Deferral Payment Plan program to provide relief to residents and businesses that continue to face financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The application-based program will allow eligible property owners who are unable to pay property taxes by the regularly scheduled tax due dates, to defer taxes under a pre-authorized payment plan. If eligible, equal monthly withdrawals will be made that will allow for the property taxes to be paid in full by Dec. 1, 2021.

Additional details:

  • Applicants will be required to attest the financial hardship they are experiencing is directly related to COVID-19, e.g. loss of employment, business closure, prolonged suspension of pay
  • Property owners that have an unpaid balance on their account from March 1, 2020 onward may include this amount in the property tax deferral payment plan (eligible owners cannot have any property tax amounts owing prior to March 1, 2020)
  • Immediately following enrollment, no penalty or interest will be applied for the duration of the deferral as long as payments are made
  • Eligible property owners have the ability to choose which date they would like the pre-authorized monthly payment plan to begin. Options include April 1, May 1, June 1 or July 1.

The application to apply for the 2021 COVID-19 Property Tax Deferral Payment Plan program is available at burlington.ca/propertytax.

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