Here’s where Halton Region’s 5.1 per cent tax hike is being spent in Milton, Oakville, Burlington

Halton Region raised taxes 5.1 per cent for next year, now it wants residents of Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills to know where their money is going.

The 2024 Budget includes a 3.4 per cent property tax increase for regional services and a 7.7 per cent increase for the Halton Regional Police Service. It also includes a rate increase of 4.3 per cent for water and wastewater services.

“We are making critical investments in the programs and infrastructure our community relies on,” said Halton Regional Chair, Gary Carr. “This year we have maintained service levels while addressing significant pressures caused by high inflation, growth and increased demand for services.

“Our responsible and forward-looking approach to financial planning has earned us a AAA credit rating for more than 30 years and keeps your tax and rate increases as low as possible.”

By identifying savings and reallocating resources, Halton Region says they are maintaining service levels and making strategic investments while addressing high inflation, growth, and beginning to address the loss of development charge revenue as a result of the Province’s More Homes Built Faster Act.

Some of this year’s key investments include:

• Services for Seniors: $3.8 million investment to address cost increases due to inflation, and provide additional staffing for emergency planning and scheduling support.
• Paramedic Services: $2.2M investment to improve response times and address operational pressures.
• Halton Region Community Investment Fund: $500,000 increased investment to meet new and emerging community needs and fund key programs, bringing the total annual investment to $4.5M.
• Housing Services: $3.3M increased investment to support affordable and assisted housing in Halton, including $1.3M to support assisted housing providers, $1M to sustainably fund and support increased rent supplements, and $1M to begin to address the loss in development charge revenue.
• Employment & Social Services: $361,000 increased investment in additional staff to support Halton’s growing Ontario Works caseload and improve access to financial assistance.
• Road Operations: $2.5M increased investment for road resurfacing and road maintenance programs.
• Waste Management: $3.4M increased investment to address higher contract costs due to inflation. This includes additional resources for Solid Waste Management Strategy initiatives to increase waste diversion and extend the life of the landfill.
• Water and Wastewater: $13.2M increased investment to support the water and wastewater state-of-good-repair capital program and address cost increases due to inflation.