Municipal Budget

Table with charts and graphs

Preparation of the Municipality of Port Hope's budget is among the most important tasks for Council each year. The process is a lengthy one as the budget provides a foundation to meet the public service needs of our residents and to make decisions on municipal infrastructure. The goal is to provide quality service while maintaining property taxes at a reasonable and affordable level.

Current status: Final 2023 Budget Passed

The draft budget was reviewed by Council during a Special Finance Committee meeting on January 31, 2023 and February 2, 2023 and was approval by Council at their regular meeting on February 7, 2023.

2023 Approved Budget

2023 Approved Budget Documents - Approved February 7, 2023

2023 Budget Summary

2023 Operating and Capital Budget Council Meeting Presentation

2023 Operating and Capital Budget Media Release

2023 Operating and Capital Budget By-law 09/2023

2023 Operating and Capital Budget By-law 09/2023 Schedule A

2023 Operating and Capital Budget By-law 09/2023 Schedule B

For a compliant version of these documents please contact the Finance Department.

2023 Operating Budget

2023 Operating Budget - CAO

2023 Operating Budget - Corporate Facilities

2023 Operating Budget - Corporate Services

2023 Operating Budget - Council

2023 Operating Budget - Finance & Human Resources

2023 Operating Budget - Library

2023 Operating Budget - Non-Departmental

2023 Operating Budget - Parks, Recreation, & Culture

2023 Operating Budget - Planning & Development

2023 Operating Budget - Police

2023 Operating Budget - Protective Services

2023 Operating Budget - Works & Engineering

2023 Capital Budget

Capital Projects Included in 2023 Budget

2023 Capital Detail - Corporate Facilities

2023 Capital Detail - Corporate Services

2023 Capital Detail - Parks, Recreation, & Culture

2023 Capital Detail - Police

2023 Capital Detail - Protective Services

2023 Capital Detail - Works & Engineering - General

2023 Capital Detail - Works & Engineering - Utilities

2023 Community Grant Requests

2023 Community Grant Summary

2023 Donation Requests

2023 Donation Summary

In this budget we will be tackling

Maintaining and improving infrastructure, mitigating the impacts of climate change, and investing in local economic development.

Spotlight on upcoming 2023 projects

Our annual operating and capital budgets are an estimate of expenses and revenues. These expenses and revenues are associated with the services provided to our community. The interactive GIS map pinpoints the Capital projects in the 2023 budget, plus any carry-forward projects from previous years. You can click on each project to learn more about its cost, details and your budget at work.

View capital projects map

Notable projects: Your 2023 budget at work

Here are highlights of some of the important projects we are tackling this year.

Group of people working on spreading asphalt

Rural Roads Resurfacing and Operator

We've included funding for an additional Rural Roads Operator and expanded the resurfacing program to help improve our roads maintenance and take care of our infrastructure

Improving infrastructure

Exterior of the town park recreation centre during construction

Town Park Recreation Expansion

This year your tax dollars will help us to finish construction of the Town Park Recreation Centre expansion. This will replace the Ruth Clarke Centre and will be the new home for our Seniors Centre

Improving infrastructure

Community Climate Action Plan

We're investing in a set of strategies that will guide both the Municipality and the community to reduce our fossil fuel use and help to mitigate the impacts of climate change on our infrastructure and environment

Mitigating the impacts of Climate Change

Tourism and Business Strategies

We have increased funding to support our community through economic development and tourism funding. A tax base with more commercial and industrial properties will ease future pressures

Investing in the local economy

Understanding the budget process

In previous years, the Municipality has held budget meetings and passed the upcoming year’s budget in December. This year, due to the timing of the municipal election, budget meetings were held in January and February 2023. Passing the budget in the New Year is a requirement of the Municipal Act, after an election period.

Watch our short video to learn about how the Municipal budget is developed by staff each year:

The Special Finance Committee meetings (also called Budget Meetings) are open to the public, advertised in Northumberland News, on our website, and through our social media channels.

You can view previous Budget Committee meetings as early as 2016 on YouTube. You can also view the Agendas and Minutes through our Council Portal. Recordings of the 2023 Budget meetings are below:

Special Finance Committee meeting on January 31, 2023 and February 2, 2023

Approval of the 2023 Budget by Council at their regular meeting on February 7, 2023

Contact the Finance Office for questions about the budget or budget process.

How we collect community feedback

Every year, we engage the public to comment on draft budget documents. We communicate this through the local newspaper Northumberland News, on our social media channel and through the public notice section of our website.

Submitting Feedback

The draft documents are uploaded to our community consultation webpage at myporthope.ca. This page allows members of the public to submit feedback online. Additionally, members of the public can attend Special Finance Committee meetings and ask questions during the designated question period.

Staff and Council review the submitted comments up until the Budget Meetings, which took place January 31 and continued on February 2, 2023.

Questions?

We have compiled a list of questions about the 2023 budget. We may not have anticipated all of your questions, but we will continue to add to this list when additional frequently asked questions arise. For further questions contact the Finance Office.

FAQ's

The table below will be updated as the project progresses to include and address questions and comments from the public and media.

Frequently Asked Questions
Question	Answer
What is the levy increase?	The total municipal levy for the 2023 budget is $24,342,585. The total levy increase is $1,831,263 or an 8.3% levy increase (when additional revenue related to growth in the tax base is factored in). The total operating increase is $934,730 or a 4.3% levy increase. The increase dedicated to infrastructure is $896,533 or a 4.0% levy increase.
How will the levy increase affect my taxes?	For residents in the urban area of Port Hope, the municipal levy increase is 4.2%. For residents in the rural area of Port Hope, the municipal levy increase is 6.2%. The change on municipal property tax based on a typical single detached residential home is: An estimated $183 municipal tax increase for an existing urban area homeowner An estimated $226 municipal tax increase for an existing rural area homeowner. Another way to think about it is an estimated increase of $3.52 per week for those who live in the urban area and $4.35 for those who live in the rural area. It can be compared to the cost of a couple of cups of coffee per week.
How is a “typical” single detached residential home determined?	The tax rates are based on the assessment value of your home – not the re-sale value (if you were to list your home for sale). The assessment value is determined by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and is often lower than the re-sale value. For example, according to MPAC’s assessments: 7 homes in Port Hope are assessed over $1M. 2566 homes are assessed at $200k, and 1267 homes are assessed at $300k. So, according to MPAC’s assessment, the median (middle) value of a typical single detached residential home in Port Hope is $269,000. That is the number used to illustrate the typical tax increase. Some properties are assessed more than this amount, and some are assessed at less than this amount. You can find out what your property is assessed at on your tax bill.
Why are taxes increasing?	There are a number of reasons for the tax increase: The cost of maintaining and replacing infrastructure (i.e., roads, facilities, water and sewer lines, etc.) rose by over 15% in 2022 alone. This does not include the significant historical funding shortfall that exists. We have increased the capital levy so that we can address this growing shortfall and so that we don’t fall further behind. Taxes increased so that we can lessen potential risks and impacts to our services. If we don’t address our infrastructure needs, we could experience: Higher maintenance costs Reduced service levels The likelihood of closures (bridges, roads, etc.) More vulnerable to impacts of climate change Increased need for infrastructure loans (at high interest rates) Increased taxes to pay for infrastructure loans and maintenance The inability to address immediate needs if they arise throughout the year (i.e., an unexpected road repair). We have increased funding to support our community through economic development funding and tourism funding. Our community is growing below the provincial average. Our historic slow growth severely hampers our ability to pay for our infrastructure needs and puts increasing burden on homeowners. A bigger and more diversified tax base of industrial and commercial properties will ease future pressures.
What services / projects are included in the budget for 2023?	There are a number of services and projects listed in the 2023 capital and operating budgets, and some of the highlight include: Sylvan Glen bridge replacement Walker Road rehabilitation Rural roads resurfacing Transit bus replacement Replacement fire truck Critical waterfront trail repairs Outdoor pickleball courts Increased funding for economic development and tourism Impacts caused due to climate change It is important to highlight that increased funding to the Capital Levy addresses the large infrastructure gap and extreme inflation. If funding for services is not addressed now, then our infrastructure related services, such as roads and bridges, will continue to get worse or need to be closed and additional infrastructure loans, at high interest rates, will be required. This will cost more in the long-term, especially at the current high interest rates.
How is the Budget developed?	Developing the budget takes months of planning: August/September: Budget Kick-Off & Department development October/November: Management Budget review and consolidation November/December: Senior Leadership Team review January: Budget package finalization and early release for review January: 2-day Finance Committee meeting to review, provide direction and complete budget Advertised broadly across communications channels (social media, newspaper advertisements, website updates, Mayor’s Corner updates). Meetings open to public Agendas posted on website Public comments encouraged on My Port Hope.
I have questions about my property tax bill, who can I ask?	You can speak to staff in the Finance office about your Property tax bill: By email By phone In-person at Town Hall (56 Queen Street, Port Hope)