York Regional Council approved a $3 billion budget, which includes $942 million to fund capital projects and $2.1 billion in operating expenditures to provide timely, high-quality public services.
“Our 2017 budget provides the resources to deliver the programs and services needed by our 1.2 million residents, 50,000 businesses and millions of visitors,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson. “The budget aligns with our 2015 to 2019 Strategic Plan and continues our commitment to capital investment, with a $6.1 billion 10-year plan. Over the period of this 10-year plan, we will spend $1.6 billion on roads infrastructure and $1 billion for water and wastewater asset rehabilitation and replacement.”
The 2017 Budget includes a tax levy increase of 2.87%, which equates to $66 per household on average.
Highlights of the 2017 Budget include:
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Investing at record levels in roads during the current term of Council, with $168 million planned for 2017
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Improving response to road disruptions, traffic congestion and road closures with new traffic cameras and upgraded traffic signal controllers
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Expanding the Rent Supplement Program to support housing stability for low and moderate income families and individuals
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Completion of the Spadina Subway Extension with expected operation to begin in late 2017
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Continuing work on the Upper York Sewage Solutions
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Hiring 43 additional staff for York Regional Police and 16 new staff for Paramedic Services to meet the needs of a larger population
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Improving transit customer service and system efficiency through innovative YRT/Viva technology, such as Wi-Fi at Richmond Hill Terminal and transit-related mobile apps
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Continuing to implement the SM4RT Living Plan, focused on the 4 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle and recover)
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Begin construction of the new Regional Administrative Centre Annex Facility, which will bring together services in one convenient location.
“Our annual budgeting continues to benefit from the Region’s fiscal strategy, introduced in 2014,” said Town of Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow, Chair of the Region’s Finance and Administration. “The strategy builds key reserves and reduces the need for debt to deliver on residents’ present and future infrastructure needs.”
More information on the Regional budget is available at york.ca/budget, including operating and capital budget backgrounders and a 2017 budget infographic.
The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine cities and towns, and provides a variety of programs and services to almost 1.2 million residents, 50,000 businesses and 580,000 employees. More information about the Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/regionalservices
(Source: The Regional Municipality of York)
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