Massive tax increase of more than 10 per cent on the way in Halton Hills

Halton Hills residents should brace themselves for a municipal tax increase of more than 10 per cent next year.

When combined with projected increases from Halton Region and the school boards, the full impact on the tax bill would be 6.56 per cent.

The reasons being given for the increase include:

• Inflationary impacts
• Higher cost of borrowing (interest rate impacts)
• Low assessment growth
• Resourcing needs to maintain existing services and respond to downloaded and legislated changes
• Realignment of Regional services and Provincial legislative requirements

“The Town of Halton Hills is committed to fostering and maintaining a high quality of life for residents, businesses and visitors,” said a spokesperson.

“Investing in the municipality by preparing a realistic and responsible budget is integral to building a healthy community.”

The town’s webpage on the budget process says there are many considerations in developing the municipal budget including the current financial environment, council’s priorities as identified in their 2023-2026 Strategic Plan and legislated and mandatory service requirements.

The overall theme of this year’s budget is 2025 Focus: State of Good Repair.

“The term ‘state of good repair’ refers to keeping assets in good condition or good working order. For the town, this means investing in its current assets such as facilities, roads, bridges and other infrastructure that the municipality already owns.”

Halton Hills Mayor Ann Lawlor will present her budget at the Nov. 4 council meeting as part of the strong mayor powers. As part of the process, the mayor’s budget is subject to council amendments, a mayoral veto and council override.

The 2025 budget recommends an increase of 10.86 per cent, including the following changes to special levies:

• State of Good Repair Levy – annual increase of 1.42 per cent for maintaining assets in a state of good repair.
• Fire Services Levy – new annual amount of 0.9 per cent to meet health & safety needs of growth.

“The Town is faced with a number of fiscal challenges many of which are experienced by municipalities across Ontario including non-discretionary budget impacts resulting from inflationary concerns such as high construction costs and downloaded services from the Province of Ontario.”

New this year, local councillors will be hosting public meetings in their wards. Each one will be 6-8 p.m. and offer local residents a chance to speak with their councillor, pick up information and submit comments.

The meetings are scheduled for:

• Ward 1: Tuesday, Oct. 22, Acton Arena, multi-purpose room, 415 Queen St. E.
• Ward 2: Wednesday, Oct. 23, Glen Williams Town Hall,1 Prince St.
• Ward 3: Wednesday, Oct. 30, Hillsview Active Living Centre, 318 Guelph St.
• Ward 4: Tuesday, Oct. 29, Gellert Community Centre, Kinsmen Room, 10241 Eighth Line.