The Budget 2025 process is well underway at the City of Mississauga. Almost all the budget goes to continuing existing programs or expanding services with increased demand such as transit. As a normal part of the discussion process though, every year there are new projects and services for consideration not in the draft budget. In the interest of budget transparency, I invite your feedback on six of those projects that we will be considering this year.
The six projects are as follows:
- Speed Limit Changes
Adjusting time-of-day speed limits for school zones on residential streets. Funding would be required one-time to install new signs and lights to provide for increased evening speeds through school zones. - Flood Recovery and Prevention Assistance
This program would provide financial assistance to help people cover a small portion of the costs from flooding due to the two storms we had this summer and to pay for some flood prevention measures for future storms. The program would be one-time to start, but could be continued in upcoming years to address future storms. - Recreation Program Fee Passes for Seniors
This program would provide free access to recreation programs to all seniors. Once started, it is expected it would be an annual expense. However, it could be launched as a pilot project. Currently, seniors in financial need can apply for free access. - Expanded Vacuum Leaf Pick-Up
Typically, the City currently uses vacuum truck pick-up for leaves on streets with homes 35 years or older as they have the most mature leaves. This is meant to be a program that picks up the leaves of city-owned boulevard trees, but most people use it for all their leaves. People without the program can still use Peel yard waste pick-up on their regular pick-up days. Using this 35-year formula, many streets will be added to the program in the next few years. Additional annual funding would pay for those streets or could even be extended to expand the program to the whole city. - Increasing Arts Grants
The City currently provides funding for visual and performing arts organizations. The demand for these grants significantly exceeds the funds currently available. Additional funding would expand the number of organizations which could receive assistance and would be expected to be an ongoing commitment. - Snow Windrow Clearing
Snow windrows are the piles of snow that plows leave at the end of your driveway. This project would provide a windrow clearing service that would see heavy equipment clear the snow piles after all snow plowing had been completed from a snow event. The service would only be available to those properties where there was room to place snow next to a driveway. This restriction would limit most townhomes, homes at the ends of cul-de-sacs and homes on the outside curves of street bends. The program would also not apply to condominium townhome complexes and apartment buildings. This program would have both capital expenses for equipment and equipment storage as well as annual costs.
The cost for each of the first five programs would be $1-million to $2-million dollars annually with the exception of the one-time cost for the speed limit adjustment. The cost of windrow clearing would in the neighbourhood of $20-million per year plus capital expenses. These expenses would be on top of the $1.29-billion in the proposed budget. Remember that funding any of these programs would either require cutting something else or increasing taxes. Adding a program without cuts would increase the Mississauga portion of your taxes anywhere from a tenth of one percent to three percent per year.
Please let me know which of these six programs would be your first, second and third priority. Additionally, if there are any of these programs that you would absolutely not fund, let me know that as well.
I am also asking for your contact information so that we may follow up if we have more questions. We also want to let you know the outcome of our efforts on addressing your priorities. Finally, knowing where people are located can help us keep an eye out for clusters of issues in the Ward.
Thanks, Joe.
