Back to Search2023 Budget Invests in the Future of Wasaga Beach
Council approves budget that will tackle infrastructure priorities, improvements to roads, parks and playgrounds and build a stronger, more sustainable Wasaga Beach
Wasaga Beach — Maintaining a safe and healthy community and investing in essential infrastructure to support residents, businesses and sustainable growth, now and in the future, is the focus of the 2023 Budget for the Town of Wasaga Beach.
Council approved the 2023 Budget on April 13, 2023. It outlines how and where the Town will allocate resources to continue meeting community service expectations over the next four years while balancing competing priorities to ensure services remain affordable.
“This year, the Town – and indeed all of our citizens and businesses – are faced with many pressures that we do not control, including inflation, rising interest rates and supply chain issues related to the pandemic. There are changes to provincial legislation, such as Bill 109 and Bill 23, that are removing municipal sources of revenue while demanding faster building and planning services. Our citizens have also been left to foot the bill for the new $60 million arena and library, including over $30 million in new debt and commitments made by the previous Council,” said Mayor Brian Smith. “Prudent fiscal management is more important now than ever before. This is a responsible budget that will address the challenges we are facing while moving key infrastructure projects forward and positioning our community for growth that will positively impact families and businesses in Wasaga Beach today and for years to come.”
Wasaga Beach residents will see a 5.9% blended tax increase for 2023, which results in a total increase on the average household tax bill of approximately $203 per year (municipal, county and education).
This year’s budget makes targeted investments that will tackle infrastructure priorities, improvements to local parks and playgrounds and other essential services, including:
- $25 million to meet 2023 commitments for the new arena/library construction
- $4 million to finish the widening of River Road West
- $725,000 for new playground equipment for the east and west ends of town
- $325,000 in an upgraded fire station to keep the community safe
- $325,000 to install a new electric vehicle charging station and introduce three hybrid/electric vehicles into the Town’s fleet, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect our clean air and water
- Over $160,000 to improve sports and recreation infrastructure including a soccer pitch, upgrades to BMX sports park and tennis and pickleball courts
- Over $75,000 to build two new bus shelters and explore expanded transit service through on-demand solutions
“As one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, we are working hard to balance affordability for our community with making the necessary investments to ensure we can continue to grow in a sustainable way that supports all of the diverse needs of our town,” said Andrew McNeill, Chief Administrative Officer. “We will continue to look for new and better ways of doing things and opportunities to streamline processes to keep costs low, while at the same time maintaining or improving the high quality of services that Wasaga Beach residents have come to expect. We will also work hard to engage and partner with other levels of government on key projects and investments, and work to identify untapped opportunities and sources of funding.”
QUICK FACTS
- The Town if facing several external cost pressures, including insurance cost increases for 2023 that are 30 per cent more than 2022 levels.
- More than half of the blended tax increase is needed to fund construction and service debt on the new twin-pad arena and library.
- Excluding the budget increase related to the new twin pad arena and library, the Town of Wasaga Beach blended tax rate increase is in line with similar increases for surrounding municipalities.
- The Town of Wasaga Beach tax rate continues to be on the lower side of municipal tax rates when compared to local municipalities of a similar size and structure.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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