It starts at zero, but it likely won’t end there.
Property taxes for Barrie homeowners are on city councillors’ agenda Wednesday, as the 2025 operating and capital budget process begins in earnest with a presentation at finance and responsible governance committee.
Council’s eventual goal is no increase in the city’s portion of property taxes.
But almost-certain increases to police spending next year and for the services provided by the County of Simcoe — social housing, ambulances, Ontario works, etc. — mean Barrie homeowners are facing an overall 2025 hike when the tax bill comes.
“As I and many around the (council) table have demonstrated over the last six years, we do target for minimal to no increases going through the budget line by line,” said Coun. Gary Harvey. “I am very aware that many are struggling to pay their bills, keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.
“It is of the utmost importance to me as chair of finance and responsible governance (committee)," he added.
But there are immediate challenges to holding the line on next year’s property tax increase.
At this point, the 2025 police budget is $71.43 million, which is $3.9 million or 5.79 per cent more than this year. The police budget is traditionally about 20 per cent of Barrie’s operating budget, the largest portion.
Also separated from property taxes for city operations are increases to water and sewer (wastewater) services, which are to increase by 3.96 per cent and 4.92 per cent, respectively, another expense for homeowners.
There’s also a two per cent increase for capital rehabilitation — infrastructure investment funding — to repair and replace Barrie’s roads, pipes, buildings and bridges.
This year’s operating/capital budget called for a 4.82 per cent tax increase to Barrie homeowners, which equals $228 more this year on a typical city home assessed at $368,000. That hike was with no increase to the city’s operating portion of the budget.
Ontario’s Municipal Act provides the head of council with the authority to give direction to city staff in writing, and one this year is a zero per cent increase in the city’s operating budget, according to a budget memo on mayoral direction to city staff, from Mayor Alex Nuttall, dated July 12, 2024.
“With the strong mayors powers, this will be the first budget that is directed by the mayor prior to council seeing it or debating it,” Harvey said. “We will not be receiving the budget binders ahead of the presentation.
“This should be a much more effective and streamlined process than past years and as you can see again, we have a zero per cent (increase) on the operational side and a marginal two per cent (increase) on the capital side,” he added.
The Ward 7 councillor said he has not seen any service partner budget requests other than one from the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA), on which he sits as Barrie’s representative.
As in the past two budget talks, these ones will be spread out from late November until January’s end.
At this point, the schedule calls for the city portion of spending — on more than 60 services such as firefighting, snow clearing, road repairs, transit, parks and recreation and water treatment — to be debated by general committee Dec. 4, then passed by city council Dec. 11.
Councillors will receive 2025 budgets from its service partners — the county, city police and the Barrie Public Library — on Jan. 8, then hear presentations of these budgets Jan. 15.
General committee’s budget talks will be Jan. 22, city council approval of the operating and capital budgets on Jan. 29.
From start to finish, Nov. 20 to Jan. 29, that’s more than 60 days.
