2020 Budget

After amendments to the proposed budget (below), Council approved a 2020 operating budget of $362 million to deliver city services, and a capital budget of $231 million to fix more of Barrie’s roads, pipes and buildings and prepare for growth.

The 2020 budget includes a property tax increase of 1.96% to deliver City services and services provided by our service partners, plus a 1% increase for the Dedicated Infrastructure Renewal Fund, which is used to replace and renew Barrie’s roads, pipes and buildings.

Budget Pressures

This year, the City faced additional financial pressures due to provincial downloading, including funding cuts to public health, county-run social services and city policing. The impact of these cuts added $2.3 million to the City’s 2020 Business Plan & Budget or 0.95 per cent to the overall tax increase. 

Budget Highlights

• Improved Services. Expanded operation of the Recycling Depot at the Landfill will reduce wait times and increase diversion rates and winter control and downtown maintenance will be improved with six additional staff who will increase service levels. There will also be increased lifeguard service at Centennial Beach.
• Transit. Seniors can ride Barrie Transit for free on Thursdays. A Transit on Demand pilot program will use mobile technology to provide flexible routing based on a specific transit user’s travel needs and a Community Bus pilot project will connect customers to a variety of popular destinations along a unique neighborhood route.
• Affordable Housing. Increased investments in affordable housing, allocating $1 million to a Community Improvement Plan fund that will incentivize the creation of affordable housing. The City is also spending more than last year to support affordable housing services delivered by the County of Simcoe.

Key Capital Projects

• Barrie–Simcoe Emergency Services Campus
• Harvie Road crossing
  
• Roads. $4.2 million in road resurfacing across Barrie. Dunlop Street improvements, expansion of Mapleview Drive E, reconstruction of Dunlop, Poyntz and Berczy.
• Huronia/McKay trunk sanitary project. Subject to agreements with the development community, this project will unlock 381 residential units in the short-term and is a key piece, along with a number of other infrastructure projects, which will permit the development of about 200 acres of City employment land along Highway 400.

Proposed 2020 Business Plan & Budget