Budget Committee

Minutes

Meeting #:
Date:
Time:
-
Location:
Council Chambers, City Hall, second floor
Members Present:
  • Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
  • Councillor Kelvin Galbraith
  • Councillor Lisa Kearns
  • Councillor Rory Nisan
  • Councillor Shawna Stolte
  • Councillor Paul Sharman
  • Councillor Angelo Bentivegna
Staff Present:
  • Blake Hurley, Commissioner, Legal and Legislative Services/City Solicitor
  • Jacqueline Johnson, Commissioner, Community Services
  • Curt Benson, Chief Administrative Officer
  • Scott Hamilton, Commissioner, Public Works
  • Sue Evfremidis, Chief Human Resources Officer
  • Chad MacDonald, Chief Information Officer
  • Craig Millar, Chief Financial Officer
  • Leah Bortolotti, Head of Corporate Affairs
  • Lori Jivan, Manager, Budgets and Policies
  • Craig Kummer, Director, Transportation Services
  • Enrico Scalera, Director, Roads, Parks and Forestry
  • Jamie Tellier, Director, Community Planning
  • Nick Anastasopoulos, Director, Building Services and Chief Building Official
  • Catherine Baldelli, Director, Transit
  • Emilie Cote, Director, Recreation, Community and Culture
  • David Thompson, Specialist, Digital Communications
  • Richard Bellemare, Specialist, Digital Communications
  • Lisa Palermo, Manager, Committee Services/Deputy Clerk
  • Debbie Hordyk, Administrative Assistant to the City Clerk

1.
Call to Order

 

The Chair called the meeting to order.

2.
Land Acknowledgement

 

The Chair read the Land Acknowledgement.

3.
Approval of the Agenda

 

4.
Declarations of Interest

 

None.

5.
Delegations

 

6.
Presentations

 

None.

7.
Consent Items

 

None.

8.
Regular Items

 

8.1
2026 Budget Review (FIN-36-25)

This item has attachments. 
1.FIN-36-25 2026 Budget Review.pdf
2.Appendix A of FIN-36-25 2026 Summary of Proposed Budget Amendments.pdf
3.Appendix B of Report FIN-36-25 Consolidated Budget Questions.pdf

  • Note: the main motion, as amended, was taken in two separate votes.

    Moved byCouncillor Stolte

    Adopt the 2026 Operating Budget including any approved budget amendments to be applied against the proposed net tax levy amount of $282,201,378.

    CARRIED
  • Moved byCouncillor Stolte

    Endorse that any surplus or deficit resulting from a difference between the actual results and the estimated 0.75% City portion of the net assessment growth be transferred to / from the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund; and

    Adopt the 2026 Capital Budget for the City of Burlington, with a gross amount of $106,112,127, as amended with a debenture requirement of $10,350,000 and the 2027-2035 capital forecast with a gross amount of $1,074,884,815 with a debenture requirement of $26,675,000 as outlined in the 2026 Budget Overview (FIN-42-25) and as amended by Council; and

    Administer the debenture in the amount of $6,350,000 in 2026 as tax supported debt; and

    Administer the debenture in the amount of $4,000,000 in 2026 as Multi-year Community Investment debt; and

    Declare that, in accordance with sis. 5(1)5 of the Development Charges Act, 1997 and sis. 5 of Ontario Regulation 82/98, it is Council’s clear intention that the excess capacity provided by the above-referenced works will be paid for by future development charges.

    CARRIED

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Bentivegna

    Engagement Enhancements (1)
    Remove the engagement enhancements key investment.

  • Moved byCouncillor Nisan

    Engagement Enhancements (1)
    Remove from budget.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Kearns

    Engagement Enhancements (1)
    Remove $20,000 from Engagement Enhancements and fund it one time from the Special Council Initiatives Reserve Fund for a Fall post-election, non Budget related Telephone Town Hall for the purposes outlined in the Q and A document included under Item 8.1. 

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Kearns

    Engagement Enhancements (1)
    Remove requested funding for Seasonal Readiness campaign and fund within existing budgets.

    CARRIED

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Bentivegna

    Urban Forestry Master Plan (2)
    Remove the Urban Forestry Master Plan Implementation - continuing to close service level gaps in Key Investment.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Bentivegna

    Waste Management in Parks (3)
    Remove the Waste Management in Parks Key Investment.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Bentivegna

    Windrow Removal Program (4)
    Remove the Windrow Removal Program Service Level Improvements Key Investment.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Galbraith

    Windrow Removal Program (4)
    Increase fee for Windrow service to $300 to make this program cost neutral.

    LOST

  • Amendment:
    Note: this amendment was withdrawn by Councillor Nisan.

    Windrow Removal Program (4)
    Include service increase in 2026 budget but report back by April of 2026 with a service review and potential for increased fee recovery for the 2026/27 season.

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Bentivegna

    Library Service and New Appleby Branch (5)
    Remove the Library Service and New Appleby Branch Key Investment.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Bentivegna

    Portfolio Manager (6)
    Remove Portfolio Manager Key Investment.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Kearns

    Portfolio Manager (6)
    Support Portfolio Manager as a one-year contract position funded from the Tax Stabilization Reserve.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Kearns

    Burlington Lands Partnership (7)
    Reduce the Burlington Lands Partnership contracted diligence services by $50K for 2026.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Kearns

    Consulting Services (8)
    Remove the CAO Consulting Services within Corporate Affairs of $50,000.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Kearns

    Indigenous Advisor (9)

    Add $10,000 for Indigenous Peoples' Day programming through Recreation, Community and Culture.

    CARRIED

  • Amendment:

    Moved byMayor Meed Ward

    Indigenous Advisor (9)

    Add $10,000 for Orange Shirt Day and National Truth and Reconciliation Day programming.

    CARRIED

  • Amendment:

    Note: this amendment was withdrawn by Councillor Galbraith

    Bus drivers (10)

    Remove the operating expenses for four conventional and one specialized bus purchased in the 2025 Budget (5 FTE) from the 2026 budget and defer to 2027 as the 9 buses only arrive in June 2026.

  • Amendment:

    Moved byMayor Meed Ward

    Transit Youth Capping Program (11)

    Extend the Youth Loyalty Program Pilot to March 2027 with one time funding of $70,000 funded through the Provincial Gas Tax.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byMayor Meed Ward

    Transit Fees (12)
    Eliminate the proposed transit rate increase and fund through increase in the transit budget

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Galbraith

    Transit Fees (12)
    Add an additional 25 cents to our transit fares to assist with cost recovery

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Stolte

    Strategic Land Acquisition Fund (13)
    Increase the contribution by an additional $1.4M for 2026 bringing the total 2026 investment to $1.8M.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byMayor Meed Ward

    Corporate Reserves (14)
    Lower provisions to the Corporate Reserve Funds: The 2026 budget includes increases to two non-capital related reserve funds. Both provisions to the Contingency and Insurance reserve funds were increased by $50,000 over the 2025 budget. The uncommitted balance (as of June 30th, 2025) in the Contingency reserve fund is $7,420,991. The $5,216,405 balance in the Insurance reserve is fully committed.

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Kearns

    Corporate Reserves (14)

    Lower provisions to the Corporate Reserve Fund.

    CARRIED

  • Amendment:

    Moved byMayor Meed Ward

    Debt Charges (15)
    Defer the final increased debt charges for Phase 1 of the Bateman: The 2026 Budget includes $300,000 in additional debt charges for Phase 1 renovations of the Bateman Community Centre. Following a review of existing debt charge budgets and in light of recent reductions in interest rates, these additional charges can be deferred to the 2027 Budget without impacting project progress.

    CARRIED

  • Amendment:

    Moved byMayor Meed Ward

    Job Evaluation project 2027 (16)
    Defer funding for a union job evaluation project to 2027: In 2026, Human Resources will undertake a job evaluation project for two of the City’s unions, similar to the work completed for non-union staff in 2023-2024. This project will update the union compensation framework to ensure market competitiveness and support employee attraction and retention in a competitive labour market. Funding for this initiative is currently phased across 2026 and 2027. By deferring $300,000 to 2027, the project may continue in 2026, but any implementation costs would need to be absorbed through vacancy (gapping) savings.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Note: discussion on this amendment was deferred to the bottom of the budget amendment list.

    Moved byCouncillor Nisan

    Infrastructure Renewal Levy (17)

    Increase funding to the Infrastructure Renewal levy by $540,000.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Note: discussion on this amendment was deferred to the bottom of the budget amendments list.

    Moved byMayor Meed Ward

    Infrastructure Renewal Levy (17)

    Increase funding to the Infrastructure Renewal levy by $390,000.

    CARRIED

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Kearns

    AI Enabled Road Patrol Software Pilot (18)
    Utilize free trial and request in year funding through council.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Kearns

    City Benches (19)
    Pause the City Benches program for 2026.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Kearns

    Centennial Recreational Trail (20)
    Advance the 2028 Capital Levy amount to initiate design work in 2026.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Kearns

    Occupancy Sensor Replacement (21)
    Defer to 2027, Capital Reserve Funds.

    LOST

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Kearns

    Long Term Financial Plan - Update (22)
    Defer to 2027.

    LOST

  • Procedural motion:

    Moved byCouncillor Stolte

    Suspend the rules for section 36.2 of the Procedure By-law 59-2024, as amended, to allow budget amendment #23 to be considered without notice, regarding approval of an upset limit of $75,000 to retain a consultant to assess the eligibility of additional properties for potential heritage designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, in consultation with the Heritage Burlington Advisory Committee, funded from the appropriate Reserve Fund.

    CARRIED

  • Amendment:

    Moved byCouncillor Stolte

    Approve an upset limit of $75,000 to retain a consultant to assess the eligibility of additional properties for potential heritage designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act, in consultation with the Heritage Burlington Advisory Committee, funded from the appropriate Reserve Fund.

    CARRIED
  • Moved byCouncillor Nisan

    Increase funding to Storm Water Infrastructure Renewal and Resiliency (RD-RL-1798) in 2026 by $390,000.

    CARRIED

9.
Confidential Items and Closed Meeting

 

None.

10.
Rise and Report

 

11.
Information Items

 

12.
Staff Remarks

 

13.
Committee Remarks

 

14.
Adjournment

 

10:42 a.m. (recessed), 10:49 a.m. (reconvened), 12:10 p.m. (recessed), 1:10 p.m. (reconvened) 2:34 p.m. (recessed), 2:47 p.m. (reconvened)

Chair adjourned the meeting at 5:38 p.m.

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