Important COVID-19 Update:
At the April 8th Council meeting, I am pleased to share that Council voted unanimously to allow the April and June tax payments to be deferred, with no monthly interest penalties or late payment fee incurred. Residents with automatic withdrawals from bank accounts per respective plans (monthly, etc) can also defer taxes. An FAQ info site is now available at www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus/faq-property-taxpayers.
This tax deferral program will balance the need to provide immediate tax relief short term for residents and businesses dealing with financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic., and will allow everyone time to adequately budget for their payments.
The links to the forms for enrolment and for cancellation are provided here:
For further assistance, please contact taxsupport@hamilton.ca or call 905-546-2489.
Council Approved 2.9% 2020 Tax Increase:
The 2020 budget has now been approved by Council. This year has been a challenge due to contract wage increases, annual increase costs for city operations such as utility, products and service cost escalations and now the devastating effect of COVID19.
In January 2020, finance staff presented Council with a 5.6% tax increase for 2020 budget process with the deadline for the budget to be approved by March 30, 2020. Over the last few months, Council and staff has found more than $30 million in savings to reduce the tax increase down to 2.9% which was approved by Council.
This 2.9% ~ 2020 budget increase continues a ten-year trend as one of the lowest municipal tax increases across the province. By comparison, Burlington approved a 3.99% tax increase.
Over the course of the last few months, the world did not anticipate the devastating effect that the COVID 19 wave would have across each country around the world. During this time, our Police, Fire Fighters, Paramedics, Public Health and all other department staff are still working and still need to be paid.
Approximately $70 million is being invested into the construction of the Waterdown North Corridor East West and Waterdown Road North South Bypass. This very necessary road infrastructure is good use of your tax dollars. Construction is underway and will continue.
The Operating Budget provides for maintenance with continued benefits for a number of important services throughout the city and in Waterdown/Flamborough. Services such as garbage collection and park improvements for Memorial Park, Joe Sams, Courtcliffe, Millgrove Community Park and approximately 13 other neighbourhood parks in Waterdown/Flamborough. Your taxes support maintenance of all cemeteries including burials and beautiful waterfall parks of which we have many. Tax support is provided to Public Libraries, Memorial Halls, Halton and Hamilton Conservation Authorities, the RBG and other citizen owned buildings of which there are many in our community. There are numerous cemeteries in Flamborough alone which taxes support. Roads, sidewalks, street lights, stop lights, ditches, culvert replacements and on and on.
Few people like to pay taxes however yours and my taxes allows all of us to enjoy a quality life, living in our beautiful communities of Waterdown/Flamborough within the city of Hamilton. There are few other communities like ours anywhere, and I feel very blessed to live here.
For more information on the 2020 Operating Budget, please click here