The City drives change in the way it delivers services and is constantly looking at ways to make tax dollars go further. The City continually works to find efficiencies and build innovation into the way it does business. All City departments conduct line-by-line reviews of their budgets each year and have embraced a culture of innovation to find savings wherever possible.
Did you know?
Ontario municipalities receive only 9 cents of every tax dollar raised in Ontario, while the Provincial and Federal governments receive 44 cents and 47 cents respectively. In contrast to this, municipalities own 57% of the capital infrastructure, while the Provincial Government owns 41% of Infrastructure and the Federal Government only 2%.
Barrie taxes are very comparable to other municipalities. In fact, they are in the lower end of other major southern Ontario cities. In 2022, Standard & Poor's improved the City of Barrie’s credit rating from 'AA' to 'AA+'.
2022 Efficiencies & Innovations
The projects and initiatives below were included within the Efficiencies section of the 2023 Business Plan & Budget. In instances where staff time is saved, this time is 100% reinvested, giving staff more time to complete other work.
Service & Environmental Improvements
Internal Process Improvements
Other Initiatives
- Process improvements at the City’s wastewater treatment facility resulted in $140,000 annual savings.
- The City’s winter maintenance operations are optimizing routes to reduce costs and prepare for growth. The fleet renewal program optimizes lease vs. own to reduce maintenance and operation costs.
- The City’s move to e-tendering is cutting costs for both the City and suppliers.
- The City’s Municipal Innovation Exchange (MIX) program leverages challenge-based procurement to addresses community driven issues. The first project is seeking ways to connect Seniors and Persons with Disabilities with an innovative solution to clear residential windrows during the winter season.