Council endorsed a spending plan that includes $30.6 million in gross operating expenditures and a $17.8 million net levy. Photo Credit: Town of Grimsby.
The Town of Grimsby has passed its budget plan for 2024.
Council endorsed a spending plan that includes $30.6 million in gross operating expenditures and a $17.8 million net levy.
The budget was passed by council on Feb. 20.
“Council approving this budget is a huge accomplishment as it is always a challenge to strike a balance between refining the budget while prioritizing projects, programs, and service levels,” said Grimsby Mayor Jeff Jordan. “Through the 2024 budget, Council is investing in the Town of Grimsby’s people, places, and prosperity and I’m confidents this budget balances valuable services, initiatives, and investments in the Grimsby community while being fiscally, and financially sustainable.”
Grimsby’s budget was prepared by city staff, which contrasts with most other municipalities in Niagara Region. The Ford government has extended strong mayor powers to mayors of all cities with populations of 100,000 residents or more. Mayors in nearby cities, including Welland and St. Catharines, are tasked with presenting their own budgets to council for approval.
Jordan was still intimately involved in crafting the proposal with city staff, however.
Under the budget passed late last month, Grimsby’s portion of the property tax levy will increase by 4.9 per cent. There will also be a 1.16 per cent reduction on Grimsby’s wastewater levy. When combined with education and regional tax levies, the property tax increase works out to roughly four per cent. The average residential assessed home, valued at $442,000, will see a $67 increase in the town’s proportion of the tax levy.
The 2024 budget includes a 0.26 per cent limited-time levy to help fund the redevelopment of the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital. That special tax increase will end when the project is completed later this year.
On the spending side, Council committed to spend $10.2 million in its capital budget, which includes investments in road and park infrastructure and ensuring the maintenance of emergency service vehicles.
The budget also includes $7.6 million in wastewater gross operating expenditures for 2024, with 50 per cent funded through tax levies and the other 50 per cent through wastewater rates.
The community was asked to engage in the budget process through an online survey. Results were shared with the policy team as they crafted the budget.
“Our team has spent a tremendous amount of time and effort creating a budget that appropriately balances the needs of residents and businesses,” said Chief Administrative Officer Sarah Kim. “Grounded in the present with a focus on the future, this budget reflects a thoughtful and balanced strategy in addressing community needs while ensuring responsible use of resources.”
Jay Goldberg is the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. He previously served as a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
