Pickering’s 2024 budget: Here’s what you need to know

The draft $108.6-million capital budget is available to the public and the current budget is expected drop on Jan. 30.

Strong-mayor powers

Ashe has special powers and duties new this year under the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, which includes the ability to prepare and propose the city’s budget.

Specifically, he’s given direction to the city’s chief administrative officer, finance director, and treasurer about the budget.

Ashe must propose the budget by Feb. 1 and council can pass resolutions to amend within 30 days. The mayor has the power to veto a council budget resolution and council can then override a mayoral veto with a two-thirds majority vote. At the end of this process, the resulting budget will be deemed to be adopted by the city.

In the past, two days were set aside for staff and council to review the budgets, with opportunities for public comment. The budget would go to the next council meeting for a final vote.

A mayor with strong powers isn’t obligated to use them. Mayor Elizabeth Roy in Whitby has chosen not to for the budget, which some Pickering residents are praising.

“I would love to see this approach being used here in Pickering by Mayor Ashe,” Ward 1 City Coun. Lisa Robinson said in a Facebook post.

But Ashe said he takes the responsibility “very seriously.”

“My goal this year is to invest in required infrastructure at the same time of being mindful of the real struggles of people living paycheque to paycheque,” he said. “My direction to city staff is to achieve a 3.99 per cent tax increase and I’m confident we will achieve that number. Contrast that to an announced increase in Toronto of 10.5 per cent.”

The city collected public input from Nov. 6 to Jan. 4.

Public meeting

Ward 1 regional Coun. Maurice Brenner is hosting a town-hall meeting on the budget on Monday, Jan. 15, along with Ward 2 city Coun. Mara Nagy and Ward 2 regional Coun. Linda Cook. The city’s director of engineering services, Richard Holborn, will also be in attendance. It’s happening at 7 p.m. at the West Shore Community Centre.

Brenner said the city is looking to set a property tax increase of around 3.9 per cent.

City spokesperson Shauna Muir and Pickering’s treasurer Stan Karwowski recently discussed the budget in an online meeting.

Here are the top five major projects for 2024 that senior staff are recommending:

Seaton Community Centre design: $18 million

Beachfront Park master plan: $10.1 million

Seaton Regional Library design: $5 million

Fire station number 5 replacement: $4.6 million

Vehicle storage shed for public works: $2.4 million

Pickering’s estimated debt is $53.7 million and Karwowski said the city hopes to reduce it this year. Some revenue dollars are coming from the Pickering Casino Resort.

Here’s where the casino reserves will likely go in 2024:

Capital budget — $11.2 million

Current budget — $1.9 million

Bill 23 shortfall — $2.5 million

The preliminary estimated dividend shortfall — $1.5 million

Other cost pressures — $2.2 million

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Feb. 7 to reflect the correct capital budget amount.