3 per cent tax hike on the way for Mississauga residents this year

Mississauga residents will pay three per cent more on the City portion of their property tax bill this year after councillors passed a 2023 budget earlier today (Feb. 1) that prioritizes public safety, buying new hybrid transit buses, renovating community centres and building new fire stations among various other infrastructure projects.

The tax hike, which was proposed by staff several weeks ago, amounts to an increase of $150 for homeowners who pay $5,000 in residential property taxes and $300 for those who pay $10,000 in annual taxes.

Business owners will see a two per cent increase on Mississauga’s portion of the commercial/industrial tax bill.

In addition to the Mississauga bill, the Region of Peel is proposing a 2.8 per cent property tax hike on its portion of the residential tax bill.

Among other things, the City’s $634.5-million net operating budget invests:

• $83.8 million in hybrid bus acquisitions
• $25.6 million in winter maintenance
• $21.5 million in road rehabilitation
• $11 million in fire prevention activities
• $3.6 million in sidewalks
• $1.9 million in new/replacement tree plantings

Also on the list is $20 million to renovate the Carmen Corbasson Community Centre, $18.8 million to build/renovate fire stations and $5 million to give Port Credit Library a major makeover.

City staff say the financial plan outlines how and where the City will allocate resources to meet service expectations over the next four years and balances priorities for more than 300 programs and services, across 14 service areas, to ensure they remain affordable for residents and businesses.

“This year, we have put forward a no-frills budget that is designed to maintain service levels while minimizing the impacts on our residents as we address ongoing pressures from inflation and the lagging effects of COVID-19,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “We are at a time when prudent fiscal management is more important than ever because we know the financial decisions we make today will profoundly affect our city’s future. I stand behind the 2023 budget, which invests in our residents and supports our business community. We are making critical strategic investments in public safety, infrastructure and sustainability to build our resiliency in the future and support our community’s growth.”

City number crunchers cautioned three weeks ago that the latest tax hike could be a sign of bigger increases to come as Mississauga officials grapple with significant financial pressures.

Staff warned that residents may continue to feel the tax pinch in the short and long term due to a number of factors including Premier Doug Ford’s new housing bill–the controversial Bill 23.

Inflation and repairing aging city infrastructure are also posing a challenge for Mississauga number crunchers tasked to find money from various sources to cover all costs.

The focus in the year ahead, said senior staff earlier, will be on public safety, specifically in areas of fire services (new fire stations and more fire inspections) and roads (expanding the City’s speed enforcement camera program and Mississauga’s Vision Zero road safety initiative).

The most significant financial pressure City officials say they’re facing is that presented by the Province’s Bill 23, which changes the development and parkland fees developers pay municipalities.

Staff says the City, as a result, faces an estimated $30 million to $50 million annual revenue loss over the next decade.

Crombie and Mississauga councillors are aggressively pushing back on Bill 23, and along with their counterparts in other municipalities are getting the message out to the public that they believe the housing legislation will have a devastating impact on cities.