Hello Ward 8 Neighbours,
Councillor Danko was recently on the Rick Zamperin show to discuss the 2023 budget and how he views the potential 6.7% tax increase.
For more details, please continue reading below…
Investment in asset management, infrastructure, climate change, encampment supports and homelessness are some of the positive highlights of the 2023 budget, according to Ward 8 Councillor John-Paul Danko on the Rick Zamperin Show.
Danko believes that the budget has many ad hoc items that were added without transparency and consultation, with Danko believing that it is poor governance and adding to the high budget increase. Other pressures on the budget are due to provincial downloading, with the housing and homelessness sectors being specifically propped up by the City rather than traditionally through provincial supports. The full interview can be played below:
In addition to the Rick Zamperin interview, Councillor Danko has offered the following statement as well:
I do not know if I will support the budget, but what is I do know is that at a 6.7% increase, Ward 8 taxpayers are at their limit.
This budget is different than previous years because in just three months, this Council has added $24.6 million dollars with 44.5 new full time employees raising taxes by 2.5%.
There are some great initiatives in this budget – smart, strategic investments in infrastructure, climate change mitigation and adaption, encampment supports and record high levels of commercial and industrial assessment growth (the total assessment growth is directly reducing taxes by 1.6%).
However, there are also significant areas of provincial downloading that is being backstopped by the City. $1.9M for housing services, $2.1M for shelters, encampment supports and social services, $6.6M for affordable and transitional housing, $4.3M for paramedics and $2M for additional COVID costs in City long term care homes – in total that is $16.9 million dollars of costs (roughly 1.7%) as a direct result of provincial downloading added to City taxpayers.
There are also several questionable items that were added by this new term of Council, such as the increase to the Councillor’s office budgets, that were added through walk-on motions, with no consultation, no evaluation, no staff recommendation and no oversight. I think this is showing the beginnings of a disturbing tax and spend trend that is disrespectful to the hardworking taxpayers of Hamilton.
Ward 8 Councillor John-Paul Danko
Questions or concerns?
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