“As Niagara Regional Chair, I understand the concerns of our community amidst these tough financial conditions.” – Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley
A News Release from Niagara’s Regional Government
Posted December 16th, 2023 on Niagara At Large
(See a brief comment by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper at the bottom of this news release.)
NIAGARA, Ontario – Niagara Region’s 2024 Budget process is now complete following last (Thursday, December 14th) night’s Regional Council meeting. The budget continues to support and invest in the programs and services Niagara residents rely on every day.
For 2024, the portion of the General Levy to support Niagara Region operations, Niagara’s agencies, boards and commissions, including Niagara Regional Police, will increase by 3.72 per cent.
In addition to these operating costs, the 2024 General Levy is required to accommodate critical investments in, historically underfunded, infrastructure renewal throughout Niagara Region with a 1.5 per cent increase dedicated to capital project financing.
Finally, an additional 1.8 per cent increase was required to accommodate for the financial impacts of provincial policy under Bill 23, which required municipalities to provide development charge exemptions.
In total, Council approved the General Levy budget with an increase of $38.6 million in 2024 equaling a 7.02 per cent property tax increase on the Regional portion of the tax bill.
For the average property assessed at $298,000, the Regional portion of the tax bill will increase by $131 totalling $1,989 in 2024. This portion of the tax bill touches the lives of Niagara residents in many ways such as supporting our seniors and vulnerable populations, maintaining our existing capital infrastructure, and affordable housing.
The General Levy 2024 budget includes: the operating budget for Regional departments, Niagara Regional Police Service, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, Niagara Regional Housing and Court Services as well as the consolidated Capital Budget.
Niagara’s Regional Headquarters in Thorold
General Levy
Part of the 2024 Budget process involved a thorough review of Regional operations that ensured the delivery of sustainable and affordable services at a time when demand for these services is increasing. This work resulted in Regional departments year-over-year operating costs coming in below the rate of inflation.
Highlights of the budget include investments and pressures such as:
* $8.6 million to replace provincially regulated development charge revenue losses needed to pay for housing-enabling infrastructure (Bill 23)
* $6.7 million increase to support infrastructure for Regional departments and agencies, boards and commissions
* $4.1 million in homelessness system stabilization (shelter outreach and support)
* $2.7 million for development charge and tax increment grants
* $2.2 million for housing provider operating subsidies
The Operating budget results in a tax levy of $483 million, which funds the daily business of the Niagara Region, its agencies, boards and commissions.
Capital
In July 2023, Council approved its 2023-2026 Council Strategic Priorities. Capital items in the 2024 Budget reflect Council’s priorities and supports a $270.3 million Capital budget. Seventy per cent of the $270.3 million Capital budgets will be dedicated to renewing existing infrastructure across the Region. In addition, incremental investments are being made to enhance affordable and supportive housing options.
Some of the major projects include:
* $17.2 million annual Capital investments in sustaining affordable housing units
* $15.8 million replace 40 conventional buses
* $13.9 million Phase One Geneva Street Development Bridge/Supportive Housing
* $12 million annual roads resurfacing
* $4 million Stanley Avenue Bridge Structural Rehabilitation
Learn about the 2024 Budget by clicking on this link – <https://www.niagararegion.ca/government/budget/2024/default.aspx>, including a breakdown of the budget process, or call 905-980-6000 to speak with someone directly.
Quotes
Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley,
“As Niagara Regional Chair, I understand the concerns of our community amidst these tough financial conditions. The 2024 Regional Budget reflects Council’s need to maintain good public programs and services, while also managing several external pressures, including global inflation and changing provincial policy, both of which complicated our deliberations. I believe that the budget we passed last night navigated these difficulties collaboratively, prioritizing the well-being of our residents and ensuring a resilient future for the Niagara Region. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to Mayor Redekop for his outstanding leadership as the budget chair and commend our dedicated staff for their tireless efforts in addressing the complexities of the challenging 2024 Regional Budget.” – Jim Bradley, Regional Chair, Niagara Region
“The 2024 Budget reflects the ongoing cost pressures faced by local government in a number of respects. With this year’s budget, Council has been challenged to strike a balance between fiscal restraint, sustaining operations, continuing to position the Region for growth and affordability issues facing residents. I believe that the 2024 Budget addresses each of these and signifies Council’s commitment to its top priorities while still maintaining services for the residents of Niagara.” – Wayne Redekop, Regional Councillor and Budget Chair
“I want to congratulate our Regional team for developing a transparent budget process that allowed council to consider all the difficult choices. While the final number is reflective of several factors, the most notable items within the 7.02 per cent increase include addressing the historic underfunding of infrastructure renewal as well as accommodating for provincial policy under Bill 23.” – Todd Harrison, Commissioner of Corporate Services and Treasurer
(A Brief Comment from Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper – This latest Regional Government property tax hike of 7.02 per cent for 2024 is only slightly lower than the Region’s record-high 7.5 per cent hike approved for 2023.
The latest hike is also above the current rate of inflation across the country of about three per cent.
Doug Draper, reporter/publisher of Niagara At Large, in a newsroom, when they still had newsrooms, way back when.
These kind of tax hikes place even greater stress on the affordability for Niagara residents of renting or keeping up a home and Niagara residents should certainly be asking their regional councillors what in hell is going on here and why more pressure isn’t also being placed on Ontario’s provincial government to back off the downloading of costs for services on municipalities.
This veteran journalist cannot help also noting that the above news release was sent out by Niagara’s regional government late this past Friday (November 15th) afternoon.
This is what we in the news media have often called a “Friday afternoon dump” – put out the bad news just before the weekend when those delivering the news are heading out the office doors and the news is less likely to receive the kind of attention from media and the public than it might on a Monday or Tuesday.
For those putting out the bad news, however, it is called “strategic communication.”
It’s all in the wording, isn’t it?
At the end of the day, whenever or however the bad news is dumped, the budget numbers speak for themselves – Doug Draper)
A quick P.S. from Doug Draper – While Niagara At large is posting a 7.02 property tax increase for 2024, The St. Catharines Standard is posting a 6.9 per cent increase. Our 7.02 per cent figure come right out of the Region’s News Release and we will hold to it unless proven otherwise.
The bottomline though, is that 7.02 and 6.9 per cent are not far apart and either figure represents a significanlty high increase in property taxes compared to increases Niagara residents have been used to from the Region for every year of the past five decades with the exception of this passing year.
Click on the following link for for an image from Niagara Region’s December 15th News Release on the budget – https://niagararegionnews.cmail20.com/t/t-e-vhyurdd-jkpvhluk-x/
NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.
“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders
Niagara At Large 
I don’t mind paying reasonable taxes for good causes. I do mind waste and lavish spending on things that are not necessities. 7.02%, 7.5%. What pay raises are people getting proportionately to balance the tax hikes and rates of inflation? Nurses 1%. I am curious what % pay increases the councillors have received lately.
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