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Burlington, Ont.—Nov. 25, 2024 - Today, Burlington City Council completed their deliberations on the 2025 budget during a Special Council Meeting. Built on four guiding principles - affordability, livability, sustainability, and transparency - the budget addresses immediate needs while laying the groundwork for long-term growth and resilience.
The 2025 budget strikes a balance between maintaining fiscal responsibility and investing in essential services and infrastructure. Key funding has been allocated for initiatives such as the low-income property tax relief program, fee subsidies, flood relief, and green infrastructure projects, ensuring income is not a barrier to participation and preparing the city for future climate challenges. Investments also include improvements to transit, road maintenance, parks, and recreation facilities to enhance daily life in Burlington.
Public feedback informed the development of this budget, providing valuable insights into residents' priorities and concerns. Through surveys, meetings, focus groups, and events like Food for Feedback, more than 4,500 interactions with residents provided meaningful responses. Input from the community highlighted the need to focus on “needs,” not “wants,” and this budget does just that - giving priority to core services like public safety, transit, and infrastructure.
This budget reflects what was shared bythe community: the need to focus on what matters most today while preparing for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.
At today’s Special Council Meeting, Burlington City Council completed their review of the 2025 budget, resulting in four amendments, only one of which had an impact on taxes - the addition of $15,000 to increase washroom hours in Spencer Smith Park. Another amendment, for enhanced park maintenance at Burloak Park, was funded through an offset to the budget. Under provincial legislation, the Mayor has the authority to veto any amendments. Today, the Mayor issued a Mayoral Decision to end the veto period, which is now posted online. By ending the veto period, the budget, as amended by Council, is “deemed approved” in accordance with provincial regulation.
The 2025 budget includes an overall tax increase of 5.76 per cent, slightly higherthan earlier fall projections due to increases in the Region of Halton budget. The breakdown includes:
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A 7.51 per cent increase in the portion of the City’s budget funded through property taxes, net of assessment growth.
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Halton Region’s projected increase is 6 per cent. Budget deliberations for the Region will be held on December 4 and December 11. Members of the public are welcome to delegate.
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No change from the Boards of Education.
For urban residential properties, this means an increase of $52.91 for every $100,000 of assessed property value.
Your property tax bill is made up of three parts:
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51 per cent goes to the City of Burlington to fund local services like transit, roads, parks, and public safety.
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33 per cent goes to Halton Region for regional services like Halton Regional Police Service, waste management, water, and public health.
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16 per cent goes to the Boards of Education to support local schools.
The blended tax rate combines these portions into a single rate, reflecting changes across all three. Even if one portion, like the City, increases or decreases, the overall rate may differ depending on changes from the Region and Boards of Education.
Budget Amendments and Process
Council reviewed and debated the budget through multiple meetings, including opportunities to propose amendments. This year, 27 amendments were brought forward by Members of Council, and 4of those were approved. These adjustments reflect Council’s efforts to refine the budget and respond to emerging priorities.
The budget itself covers both capital expenses, like major infrastructure projects, and operating expenses, which include the day-to-day costs of running city services. It’s funded through a mix of property taxes, which account for 72% of City revenues, as well as user fees and service charges, reserves, development charges, and support from other levels of government.
By balancing these funding sources, the budget ensures Burlington can meet its immediate needs while planning responsibly for the future.
Top 5 Capital Investments in 2025
Burlington’s population is expected to grow by over 40 per cent in the next 25 years. To ensure a sustainable financial future, City budgets need to prepare for growing resident needs. This includes investing in more infrastructure for long-term community benefits. In 2025, $103.5 million is allocated for capital projects that will bring improvements to every ward. Some of the largest investments include:
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$12M to renew City parks, including City View Park to increase park use
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$10M for repair and renewal to City facilities to promote community use
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$7.8M for the Burlington Transit Operation Facility expansion to increase transit efficiencies
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$6.3M for the Plains Road renewal to decrease traffic congestion
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$5.2M for Stormwater Management to reduce flood risk in high-priority areas
For more information on the 2025 budget, visit burlington.ca/budget or getinvolvedburlington.ca/2025budget.
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Quick Facts
- Work on the City of Burlington’s 2025 budget began in May. Residents, businesses, partners, staff, and all members of council were invited to provide feedback at getinvolvedburlington.ca/2025budget, the Food for Feedback event, at six in-person consultation meetings in each ward, at a telephone town hall, and during committee and council meetings. This feedback was presented to City Council to allow them to provide feedback on the proposed priority projects and services.
- Public feedback centered on concerns with tax affordability, reducing taxes and prioritizing services such as roads, infrastructure, climate change/environment and affordable housing.
- In June 2024, the 2025 Financial Needs and Multi-Year Forecast Report was presented at Committee of the Whole. Preliminary discussions began in July 2024, and throughout summer, among staff, Council, and the community to help with information sharing and collaboration early on in the process. Following in-person consultation meetings in September and October, the City published its Proposed Budget on October 25. Council feedback and public delegations were received on November 4 and 18.
- After extensive engagement that took place online, in person, by phone, and by mail, Council convened at a Special Council meeting on November 25 and approved a number of budget amendments previously passed at Budget Committee.
- In June 2023, the Ontario government announced the expansion of strong mayor powers to the leaders of 26 municipalities, including Burlington, that had accepted housing pledges. Burlington Council unanimously accepted its housing pledge earlier that spring. Under the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, which came into effect on July 1, 2023, mayors are legislatively required to either prepare and propose the municipal budget themselves or direct staff to do so. This year, the Mayor issued a Mayoral Direction in July to staff to prepare the budget and present it to Council for review and consideration, which was unanimously endorsed by Council.
- Burlington is growing and changing. As our city grows, a well-structured operating budget ensures that essential services are continuously supported to meet the needs of residents. The 2025 Operating Budget includes $4.5 million in key projects, of which $2.3 million is supported by property taxes. These projects are designed to improve quality of life and enhance services city-wide.
Quotes
Joint statement from Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and Deputy Mayor for Strategy and Budgets Paul Sharman.
“This year, inflation and economic pressures presented significant challenges for us all. At the City and within Council, we faced tough decisions to manage costs while ensuring we continued to provide the essential services you rely on.
We also heard your feedback: you want budget information to be clearer, more transparent, and shared earlier in the process. That’s why, for the first time, we introduced a draft budget summary, giving you an opportunity to share your input before formal discussions began.
With valuable feedback from residents, staff, and Council, a budget has been brought forward that balances Burlington’s current needs with future planning. It prioritizes key areas: affordability, livability, sustainability, and transparency.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts. Your perspectives are essential in helping us build a stronger, more connected Burlington—one that is prepared for today’s challenges while staying focused on tomorrow’s opportunities.”
Burlington Chief Administrative Officer, Hassaan Basit
“Thanks to the hard work of council, staff, and many engaged community members, the 2025 budget is ready to move Burlington forward. It focuses on delivering the services residents count on, improving our infrastructure, and staying flexible to handle unexpected challenges.
This year, we’re prioritizing key areas like stormwater management, repairing critical infrastructure, and supporting essential services such as public safety, transit, and road maintenance. We’re also investing in our parks, recreation programs, and cultural spaces to create vibrant places where people can connect and thrive.
At the same time, we’re making progress on sustainability initiatives to prepare for climate challenges and expanding community facilities to meet the needs of our growing population.
These investments aren’t just about today—they’re about building a strong, adaptable city that continues to offer the high quality of life Burlington is known for.”
Links and Resources
- Visit burlington.ca/budget for information about the 2025 budget, or getinvolvedburlington.ca/2025budget.
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Media contact:
City of Burlington Communications
communications@burlington.ca
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