It took just one day for Windsor City Council to pass its 2020 budget.
Shortly before 7 p.m. Monday, Mayor Drew Dilkens adjourned the meeting, having passed the city's spending plan for the coming year. Also, adjustments in the operational budget helped push the proposed tax increase down from 3.6 per cent to 2.1 per cent. The figure was confirmed to Blackburn News by city spokesman Jason Moore.
A net property tax levy requirement of $420.3 million was first requested in December 2019. The city administration has asked councillors to approve a 3.6 per cent cumulative increase, though $4.3 million in cuts approved Monday dropped the hike down to 2.1 per cent.
The adjustment came through cuts in the operating budget. These cuts included $600,000 for the police services board, $70,000 for Life Over Fifty, the cancellation of a $33,000 increase for security at Lakeview Marina, and the cancellation of the adding of a trainer's position for Windsor Fire and Rescue.
The increase includes an asset management plan of 1.16 per cent. The asset management plan provides funding to maintain or replace all of the city's assets, including roads, facilities and fleet. The city has been mandated by the province to have a plan in place by 2021.
With the operating budget complete, councillors moved quickly to approve the eight-year capital budget, which called for over $161 million in spending.
As with all council meetings, the budget deliberations were presented live from beginning to end on the city's official website.
-With files from Maureen Revait
https://twitter.com/drewdilkens/status/1221949448638607360
