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8- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday April 5, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Vision ­ To be the most livable town in Canada 2008 Operating and Capital Budget Message from the Budget Chair This year we were faced with many competing demands and priorities that led to tough budget decisions. I'm pleased to share that we came up with a solution to help trim the recommended tax increase, while still allowing us to enhance or add new programs and services. A new program-based, performance-based budgeting process provided for greater accountability and transparency and clearly set out where our budget dollars will be spent. On behalf of Council, I'd like to thank staff for their hard work in compiling the necessary data to carry out the budget process. Furthermore, the participation and input of residents and other stakeholders was instrumental in getting us to where we are today. In short, this budget was about getting the things people want done. Councillor Allan Elgar Environmental Services Other Strategy, Policy & Communications Regulatory Services Administrative Exec. Management Legal Services Facilities Management Culture & Tourism Human Resources Infrastructure Governance Planning Services Finance Information Systems & Solutions Corporate Services Recreation Services Library Oakville Transit Parks & Open Space Road Network $0.6 $0.7 $1.0 $1.4 $1.4 $1.5 $1.5 $1.7 $1.8 $2.1 $2.1 $2.2 $4.1 $4.9 $5.3 $6.8 $7.4 $9.8 $9.8 $13.4 $20.7 0 5 PER $100 10 PAID 15 $ TAX 20 25 5 Creating Canada's Most Livable Town On March 25th, Council unanimously approved Oakville's 2008 Budget. Over the course of three months, we digested more than a thousand pages of budget recommendations submitted by Town staff. We had a set of strategic priorities to guide us and were aggressive in getting the programs and services we felt necessary to maintain the quality of life expected by Oakville residents. Residents told us what they wanted and we delivered. In the end, a combined operating and capital budget of $263.5 million was approved, representing a 3.79 per cent increase to the total property tax bill. Residential property taxes will increase by $38 per year for each $100,000 of assessment, or $133 for a house assessed at $350,000. This budget truly was about meeting the needs of the community and catching-up on overdue demand for new programs, new facilities and critical infrastructure improvements. Over the next year, you'll see exciting things taking place throughout Oakville. Construction of the North Park Quad Arena, a sports complex with diverse recreational opportunities will break ground this spring. We're building new trails that will be interconnected into our existing 145-kilometre trail system. Development of a new youth centre is in the works -- a simple yet purposeful way to engage Oakville's youth. Another driver of this year's budget is the implementation of new fire service standards as recommended in the Town's Fire Master Plan. We'll be hiring 22 new firefighters to enhance response time and safety. This is a critical service improvement as every second counts when you are responding to a fire. Public safety is our top priority. We pushed for additional environmental and energy conservation upgrades at all Town facilities and wider community outreach and education programs to support our urban forests, air quality improvements and town-wide energy conservation. We saw how committed residents were to energy conservation during the Earth Hour challenge and will keep advocating further conservation initiatives. We've also provided for additional funding for heritage planning and preservation; implementation of a customer service strategy that will make it easier for residents to access information; expanded transit service to areas including the new RioCan Centre; and additional spring grass cutting. We're proud of the teamwork and cooperation on this Council and with our staff that produced this budget. Oakville is on the move, we have a plan and we're taking action to become the most livable town in Canada. We're also one of the lowesttaxed and lean and efficient local governments in the entire GTA, as reported in the Toronto Star on March 31, 2008. If you have any questions about this year's budget, please email me at mayor@oakville.ca. Mayor Rob Burton Fire What It Means to You Overall 3.79 per cent Tax Increase The average total residential property tax will increase by 3.79 per cent in 2008 or $38 per $100,000 of assessment. Residential - Each $100,000 Assessment $250,000 Home $350,000 Home $500,000 Home Per Tax Levy By-Law $38 $95 $133 $190 Total Tax Impact (after tax shift for local infrastructure funding) The 3.79 per cent increase to the total property tax bill is split between the Town, the Region and the local Boards of Education. The breakdown can be seen below. Town 33.4% Region 40.4% Education 26.2%