February 24, 2021
Today, City Council approved the City of Mississauga’s 2021-2024 Business Plan and 2021 Budget.
“Together our Council Members approved a fair and equitable budget that allows us to keep taxes low while continuing to respond to the pandemic. Staff worked incredibly hard to bring forward a balanced budget that still delivers the essential City services that residents need and expect, including transit, library, and fire and emergency services, despite revenue losses,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “We have been strong and resilient as a City through the pandemic and will continue to deliver value for money for residents while making the strategic investments that are needed to move us forward and stay competitive.”
On June 24, 2020, City staff introduced the preliminary 2021-2024 Business Plan and 2021 Budget. An update regarding the impact of COVID-19 was included. On November 23, 2020 an overview of the proposed Business Plan and Budget was presented. The 2021 Budget considered financial recovery strategies, outlined to Budget Committee throughout 2020, to offset budget pressures due to the pandemic. These included:
- Return to normal fee schedule and collection as soon as possible
- No new material service level changes in 2021
- Reduction in discretionary spending
- Critical assessment of capital expenditures
- Use of reserves
- Continued collaboration with other municipalities to seek assistance from higher levels of government
- Increase in user fees
“COVID-19 presented new challenges that our staff quickly rose and adapted to while honouring our commitment to service excellence, fiscal responsibility and continuous improvement,” said Paul Mitcham, City Manager and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). “Early on, with Council direction, the City took actions to mitigate the financial impact such as temporary staff layoffs, a hiring freeze, discretionary spending review and deferral of some 2020 capital projects. We greatly appreciate the funds allocated by the federal and provincial governments through the Safe Restart Agreement (phase I and II spread over 2020 and 2021). I am proud of our staff that worked diligently with Council throughout the pandemic to deliver a solid budget that will help us through recovery and to move forward and prepare for the years to come.”
2021 Tax Impact
Property taxes in Mississauga are used to fund services provided by the City of Mississauga, the Region of Peel and the Government of Ontario for the Ministry of Education. Of every property tax dollar, 36 per cent goes to the City; the rest is divided between the Region of Peel at 45 per cent and the Government of Ontario at 19 per cent. For 2021, the overall residential property tax increase will be 2.1 per cent, of which 1 per cent is the City of Mississauga’s portion and 1.1 per cent is the Region of Peel’s portion. This equates to approximately a $56 increase on the City’s portion of the property tax based on an average residential property valued at $730,000 or $7.71 per $100,000 of assessment.
The 2021 Operating Budget focuses on the delivery of programs and services and includes:
- Completion of new community centre in Churchill Meadows
- Continued MiWay investment with new hybrid electric buses
- Implementing the Transportation Master Plan, progressing toward Vision Zero
- 1 Port Street Environmental Assessment
- Continued construction of new fire stations
- A $7.6 million in savings through MiWay due to the cancellation of two express services and the transition to Kipling Bus Terminal
- Development of the City’s first Pedestrian Master Plan to shape pedestrian connections across neighbourhoods
- Continued investments in new technology that will result in efficiencies, cost savings and improved service delivery
- Implementation of the City’s first Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) to mitigate greenhouse gases and adapt to the impacts of climate change
As part of the Capital budget, Mississauga’s City Council is committed to investing in:
- Environmental Assessment Studies for Bus Rapid Transit corridors on Dundas Street and Lakeshore Road
- Renovations for Burnhamthorpe Community Centre to improve recreational services
- Renovations and repairs to important cultural assets including Meadowvale Theatre and the Living Arts Centre
- Planned lifecycle replacements from 2021 to 2023 city-wide some of which include:
- 40 kilometres of trail reconstructions
- 14 playground redevelopments
- 17 sport field and court maintenance and replacements
- Nine pedestrian bridge replacements
- Redevelopment of the Central Library, adding 34,000 square feet, a new children’s space, and enhanced supports for people experiencing homelessness
- The Roads Service Area received the largest portion of the City’s capital budget allocation with $89.1 million or 33 per cent requested for 2021; key projects include:
- Improvements to cycling infrastructure
- Bridge and culvert renewal
- Roadway rehabilitation
- Investment in the West Credit site to ensure service levels met for winter maintenance and leaf collection
Council also approved a one-third reduction of car allowance and freezing of salaries for Members of Council for 2021.
“With this year’s budget, we are managing the financial impacts of the pandemic, with public health as our first priority. We are working towards recovery by providing necessary services that the public rely on while minimizing the property tax required,” said Gary Kent, Commissioner of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer. “We will continue to manage the significant financial impacts we are facing from COVID-19 and work towards our long-term plans. We have learned a lot from the pandemic and will continue to apply our learning as we continue into the next budget cycle.”
Stormwater Charge
The Stormwater Charge funds the City’s Stormwater Program. It is a dedicated source of funding separate from property taxes. The Stormwater Charge appears on the Region of Peel water bill and in 2021 the rate increase is set at 2 per cent. This means the average residence (approximately 75 per cent) will see an increase of $2.20 or less.
For more details about City’s budget and the budget process, visit mississauga.ca/budget.