This year’s budget process has changed with the introduction of the Strong Mayors legislation from the Province of Ontario.
What this means is that it is the responsibility of the Mayor to propose the budget. Each year, staff will present a Financial Needs and Multi-Year Forecast for her to use as reference. Basically, there are two main documents:
-
The Financial Needs and Multi-Year Forecast is prepared by staff and is informative. The Mayor will use this document to create the Proposed Budget.
-
The Proposed Budget is put forward by the Mayor and presented to Council annually. Council and delegations may review and comment on the proposed budget. Once council has reviewed this budget, a final budget will be adopted and implemented by staff for that budget year.
View the 2024 Financial Needs and Multi-Year Forecast Book
View the Mayor's Proposed Budget 2024
Key Meeting Dates
- Monday, Oct. 30 at 9:30 a.m.
Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability Committee:
Staff will be presenting a 2024 Financial Needs and Multi-Year Forecast to CSSRA Committee. The Mayor will be publicly releasing her proposed budget. - Thursday, Nov. 2
The Mayor will present the 2024 proposed budget to Burlington City Council.
View the agenda and item.
- Monday, Nov. 6 and Tuesday, Nov. 7
City staff will provide further details on the financial needs outlined in the 2024 Financial Needs and Multi-Year Forecast
- Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
Telephone Budget Town Hall
Hosted by Mayor Meed Ward, join the telephone town hall and questions about the proposed 2024 budget. - Tuesday, Nov. 21 and Thursday, Nov. 23 at 9:30 a.m.
Review of proposed 2024 budget at meeting of Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability (CSSRA) committee. - Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 9:30 a.m.
Special Meeting of Council to review proposed 2024 budget.
How to provide feedback on the proposed budget |
| Members of the public can provide their feedback on the proposed budget in the following ways. |
Contact the Mayor and Council Members |
| You can reach out to the Mayor and Council members anytime via phone or email at the following addresses: |
Participate in Councillor Hosted Scheduled Budget Meetings |
| Attend the scheduled budget meetings hosted by your Ward Councillor (Make sure to check the meeting dates with your councillor). |
Join the Telephone Town Hall on November 7 |
|
Register to Delegate at Council and Committee Meetings |
|
You can delegate in person, virtually, or in writing at the Thursday, Nov. 2 council meeting. You can also delegate in person, virtually, or in writing at the Committee and Council meetings scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 21 or Thursday, Nov. 23, which will be reviewing council amendments.
|
Strong Mayor Powers
In June 2023, the Ontario government announced it was expanding strong mayor powers to the mayors of 26 municipalities, including Burlington. Under this legislation, it is the responsibility of the Mayor to propose the budget. The strong mayor powersbecame effective on July 1, 2023. Mayoral decisions made under the strong mayor powers are available to the public.
How is the Operating Budget funded?
The Operating Budget is mainly funded from property taxes, but it can also include revenues from:
- Earnings on our investments
- Senior government subsidies, such as the provincial gas tax
- User fees and charges, such as recreation fees, parking fines, business licences and building permits
What is a capital project?
A capital project helps maintain or improve a City asset (or infrastructure), including:
- Major maintenance or rehabilitation projects
- New construction, expansion, renovation or replacement projects for existing facilities
- Purchases of major equipment
Costs can include:
- Architectural planning
- Contract services
- Cost of land
- Engineering
Budget Open Data
View our Budget Open Data application, which displays the City's budget data in an accessible, easy-to-understand format using charts, tables and graphs. The application also helps drive greater government accountability and fiscal transparency.