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Town of Oakville finalizes budget; reduces tax increase to 1.57 percent

Thestar.com
December 17, 2021

At the budget committee’s last meeting for 2021 on Tuesday, members passed the final budget for ratification at regular council on Monday, Dec. 20. The document includes several changes including a much reduced tax increase of 1.57 percent.

“The budget that we are looking at passing is a responsible budget that makes very sound choices for both next year and into the future,” committee chair Tom Adams said. “It includes this modest overall property tax increase of one and a half percent. Which is lower than Burlington, Milton, Halton Hills and Mississauga.”

The budget committee’s proposed tax increase has evolved and been adjusted throughout the deliberation process. It had initially started out at 1.7 percent. It then was raised to 1.77 percent once the Halton Region’s contribution was taken into account.

Staff were directed by the budget committee to explore options that would allow them to lower the increase down to 1.6 percent.

Director of Finance Jonathan van der Heiden named a number of reasons behind how the town was able to reduce the increase. “The region’s rate has been updated from 2.2 percent to 2.16 percent,” van der Heiden said in council.

“This brings the overall increase before all considerations today to 1.76 percent.” Van der Heiden said the removal of four permanent mobile compliance officers was a factor, creating a savings of $480,000.

The other factor that led to the decrease, according to the finance director, was $500,000 in anticipated savings from “efficiency review work” on facilities and recreation between 2022 and 2024.

In addition to the tax increase, the committee approved several service changes. Some of those are: