Taxpayers’ opinions: Higher taxes, the new library, roads and infrastructure and transportation among the top concerns

By Casandra Turnbull

The Committee of the Whole got a look at the results of the 2024 Budget Public Engagement campaign this past Thursday. Once the proposed budget is presented, part of the annual budget process requires the County of Brant to collect feedback from the public That feedback is considered to help council make informed decisions before approving the 2024 budget

The county collected the feedback through its EngageBrant website from January 5 to January 22. The page recorded a total of 796 visits, of which 230 people took a deeper dive into the information provided beyond the main summary page A couple dozen individuals engaged in questions and/or provided feedback

Some of the prevalent key themes included: Concerns about the proposed 10.5% tax increase (accounting for 24% of the feedback), concerns over the new main branch library project (a total of 13% of the feedback), approximately 10% of engagers wondered why the Corporate Strategy Staffing/Budget was so high and another 10% expressed concerns surrounding infrastructure, particularly roadwork projects. “Please improve availability of Brant Transit. As ‘Public Transportation, it has very limited availability. It does not serve the purpose of "Public Transportation" at all” . said one person. Another person asked, “Why can't we have a shuttle/bus service like we used to have? Pick up and drop off spots around the community and going in and out of Brantford, etc. throughout the day like every hour” .

Some residents wondered how the county based its median home value at $383,000, which would equate to a $366.75 annual increase on that median home evaluation if the budget is approved at 10 5% tax hike The county did clarify the $383,000 is not reflective of current home values, but values from 2016. So that means the average median home can expect more than a $366.75 increase this year.

“The proposed residential property tax hike is another example of the County being out of touch with reality - which is evident by the illustration used to sell their agenda. A median home value of $383k to illustrate the tax increase is deceptive and disingenuous The irony is it was illustrated under the guise of transparency. If you lived in the County, you’d appreciate how ridiculous that illustration was,” said one commenter.

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Here's a look at some Paris specific questions posed by residents:

"Understanding that there are only so much that can be done with a budget, it does appear that the North end of Paris is being forgotten about, specifically for activities for families. There is only 1 new park, and it is barely a park for kids to play, no splash pad and no activities for children/youth or families to go to play."

"why can't we have an indoor pool for public swim? yes, we all know the Wayne Gretzky Center is 15 min away but what about people who don't drive and don't want to spend a fortune on a taxi, and with the new Brant transit is it guaranteed to pick you up approximately when you want to go?"

"Can the idea of renovating the Bawcutt centre. 18 million is not needed on this building. Give the donation back and keep the existing library. The project will go over budget and there is not enough parking and people won’t park downtown and walk up to the centre "

"Please continue to support the plan for the new library- a brilliant plan to preserve and renew a heritage building that is important not only in this area but also to heritage architecture in all of Canada as the oldest gothic building in Canada that is not a church."

"Scrap the idea of renovating the Bawcutt centre! Not needed at this time Prioritize bishopgate interchange Pound the table on that one. Water and wastewater servicing for Burford/Scotland/Oakland. Paris cannot be the only growth area in the County."

Here are a few questions posed by residents, with county responses below:

Q: Can you include green bins into the budget?

A: Thank you for your question. Green Bins have not been included in the Draft 2024 Budget but are being considered as part of the County’s Garbage and Recycling Services Review, which can be followed through Engage Brant at EngageBrant.ca/WasteServices. The County will be entering into a new Waste Collection Contract in 2024, which will be effective for 2025 As such, green bins and the results of the Services Review will be a discussion brought forward for the 2025 Budget Deliberations.

Q: With all the new building. Extra taxes and construction levies why are we seeing such a dramatic increase. Shouldn’t those increased taxes help offset this? It’s possible we might need to look at the structure of departments are start making some cuts

A: Thank you for your question. The County of Brant has experienced considerable growth over the past few years and as a result has seen increased tax revenue. The increased revenue from 2023-2024 is primarily the difference between a 14.9% increase in Net Levy (total increase in expenditures) and the proposed 10.5% Tax Levy increase Also noting that with new housing construction comes increases in services, for which costs are funded through tax revenue. The planning and building fees as well as Development Charges are specifically allocated to development-related costs

Q:Thank you for the link to the Financial Plan for 2024. I still am of the opinion that a 10.5% year over year budget increase is substantial especially in an economy where essential living costs (accommodation or renting, food, transportation) are escalating for all households Do you have a staffing plan for 2024. For example, Corporate Strategy plans on 43 5% increase in Salaries, Wages and Benefits in 2024. Hopefully, that is not an expected financial increase for a similar or same staffing plan from 2023.

A: One of the significant Budget Drivers relates to Council-approved reorganizations and in-year positions. The Corporate Strategy Department, as you referenced, is a new department created in 2023 and as such, there are annualized costs which make up a large part of the increase for that group. Overall, the staffing plan for the 2024 budget consists of additional positions approved by Council in 2023 as various needs were identified and presented to Council and the decision package recommendations being put forward to Council for consideration as part of the budget.

If you want to see how the final budget deliberation and decision packages were discussed on February 1st, watch the meeting here on YouTube Council must ratify the budget during its February 27th meeting.

What are your thoughts? Send us a Letter to the Editor to managingeditor@theparisindepende nt.com to share your opinion on the 2024 Budget.