Road work + affordable housing + money for health issues = $10-month hike in property taxes

City council okays 2019 budget

Barrie City Council has given final approval to its 2019 budget.

It’s a $343M money paper – a 1.88 per cent increase over last year.

It will mean an additional $124 on the annual tax bill for the average homeowner.

There’s a lot of roadwork in this budget – a key priority identified by residents through the online Budget Allocator Tool.

  • Harvie Road crossing of Highway 400
  • widening of Mapleview Dr. E from Country Lane to Yonge Street and the Road Resurfacing Program.
  • design work will continue on the new McKay Road interchange at Highway 400
  • construction will begin on the rehabilitation of Hurst Drive from Cox Mill to Golden Meadow Road.

The 2019 budget includes a $55 million investment in roads, which is 11 times more than the 2013 budget of $5 million

Money has also been set aside for affordable housing and tackling the opioid crisis, as well as other health issues in the city.

Enhancements to the waterfront and trails will take the form of more benches, picnic tables and fire pits.

And, in response to feedback from residents about road safety, Council also approved funds to purchase five LED Radar Speed Boards to discourage speeding and improve safety.  

The City continues to drive change in the way it delivers services with a number of innovative projects in the budget that will save money and improve service delivery. The City will implement a Six Sigma program that will use a data-driven approach to improve processes across City departments. A review of the City’s winter road maintenance operations will aim to optimize routes, reduce costs and prepare for further growth. A fleet renewal program will be introduced in 2019 to provide sustainable funding to manage the replacement of City vehicles in a cost-effective manner, and the Shift Government project will tackle the root causes of issues such as public health, the opioid crisis, and homelessness by bringing innovative, proactive approaches to service delivery.

Click here for more on the 2019 Business Plan & Budget.

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