Sudbury councillors approve 2022 city budget

Sudbury city council has approved the city's 2022 budget, following deliberations that lasted for five meetings.

Homeowners will see their tax bills go up by 3.1 per cent, slightly above the threeper cent limit councillors had hoped to achieve. It is however a slight decrease from what was in the draft budget. There will also be a4.8 per cent water/wastewater user rate increase.

The city said the tax increase means someone with a homeassessed at $230,000 will pay about $8 more per month. For a homeassessed at $350,000 the tax bill will go up by about $13 per month.

"I'm very proud to say that we started this process as 3.2 and we actually finished at 3.1. There's not too many other budget cycles that have resulted in a decrease from the original budget that was presented," said Coun. Mike Jakubo, who chairs the city's finance committee.

Councillors approved funding for a number of projects including transitional housing, providing $60,000 in additional funding to Place des Arts, participatingin another year of the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, continuing a bylaw officer program that provides extra security downtown, and restoration of the Minnow Lake boardwalk, among other investments.

Council also approved two projects, pending funding from senior levels of government: the Valley East twin pad arena, and infrastructure renewal for Municipal Road 55/Lorne Street.

Betting on provincial funding

One of the key ways councillors were able to reduce the tax levy increase came in the final evening of deliberations, with a motion introduced by Mayor Brian Bigger. Councillors agreed to remove $1.1 million earmarked for a supervised consumption site, and bet on the likelihood of provincial funding coming through.

Bigger said he has had very promising conversations with Michael Tibollo, Ontario's associate minister for mental health and addictions, who has expressed support for the project. The city cannot receive provincial fundinguntil it receives a federal exemption to operate the site, which it hopes will happen early in the new year.

"I strongly believe that we will receive proper provincial funding and the proper federal exemption, based on everything that I know at this point in time. And so I believe that the risk is reasonable," Bigger said.

The majority of councillors voted in favour of altering the budget. Coun. Robert Kirwan voted against it.

If the city does not receive provincial funding, it would have to look at other ways to fund the project, including possibly drawing from reserves.