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Windsor residents eager to learn how much their property taxes will grow this year will have to wait a while longer.
Although city council kicked off 2024 budget deliberations Monday morning, the final levy impact might not be known for several more days amid a new budget process introduced this year.
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Under strong mayor legislation, council has 30 days to review and amend the budget first proposed by Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens on Jan. 8. However, council on Monday voted to end its review period that day.
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Dilkens now has 10 days to veto any council amendments made during budget deliberations, though he may not need that long. Council will then have 15 more days to overturn any mayoral vetoes with an 8-3 vote.
“The budget, whatever comes out the other end, is approved,” Dilkens explained to council.
Unlike in years past, he said, “There’s no hands up and down (vote) on the whole budget.”
Janice Guthrie, city treasurer and chief financial officer, kicked off deliberations with a presentation on the proposed budget, which recommends a levy increase of nearly $18.1 million or 3.93 per cent. For the average residential taxpayer, that increase is approximately $124 per year.
“The city continues to operate at a lean and fiscally responsible budgetary level. Inflationary and post-pandemic pressures continue to place a strain on operating budgets,” Guthrie said.
“It is imperative that city council remains focused on ensuring a balanced approach when setting priorities.”
Monday’s meeting was void of public delegations, another change to this year’s budget process. Interested residents had the opportunity to appear before council and share their two cents on the proposed budget during a special meeting on Jan. 22, or they could submit written feedback.
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Early in Monday’s meeting, council voted to investigate more than $17 million in proposed improvements to Festival Plaza — the cheapest of three options proposed by a hired consultant, and the only option that excludes a massive canopy that would protect event-goers from the elements.
Specifically, council referred the report on Festival Plaza upgrades back to city staff, who will come up with more choices for council. Those choices could coincide with the least expensive proposal or include more “cost-effective” options.
At the request of Ward 9 Coun. Kieran McKenzie, council also voted, again, to study possibilities for the historic bandshell in Jackson Park once at the heart of massive Emancipation Day celebrations. City staff will undertake a formal procurement process for a third-party feasibility study, one that looks at restoring the bandshell at its current location.
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Council capped the cost for the bandshell study at $120,000, despite a previous report from city staff saying a fulsome study would cost roughly $300,000. The study will be paid for with reserve funds.
“My vision is to try to express something that the community articulates for that space,” McKenzie said. “What I understand is that there are people in the community that care very deeply about the history there and what happened there.
“There are some folks that would like to see it restored, if it’s feasible, for some type of public use.”
Budget talks were ongoing at the time of the Star’s Monday print deadline.
tcampbell@postmedia.com
twitter.com/wstarcampbell
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