• Mayor Iain Lovatt will table Stouffville’s 2025 draft operating and capital budgets on November 6, 2024.
  • The 2025 budgets will be deemed adopted as early as November 28 and no later than December 12, 2024.
  • A pre-budget public consultation meeting will be held on October 17 to gather input from the community.
  • The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Ringwood Room at 111 Sandiford Drive.
  • The Town has also launched a public survey for residents and ratepayers to submit their thoughts and comments regarding budget priorities.

 

Under Ontario’s Strong Mayor Powers system, mayors are responsible for preparing and presenting municipal budgets to their council. In consultation with Town Staff and his fellow Ward Councillors, Mayor Iain Lovatt will develop and then table Stouffville’s 2025 budgets on November 6.

Council will have just 21 days to propose amendments and vote on them. If no amendments come forward, the budgets will be considered adopted on Nov. 28. Should Council approve budget amendments, Mayor Lovatt may veto them by submitting a written statement explaining his reasoning.

If Lovatt does not exercise his veto, the amended budgets would be adopted on December 3. If amendments are vetoed by the Mayor, Council can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote. The final budgets would then be adopted on December 12.

The process moves quickly, offering little time for community input after draft budgets are tabled. To ensure residents and ratepayers have an opportunity to be heard, the Town is conducting a budget survey.

The survey allows participants to detail their satisfaction with municipal departments by indicating whether they want reductions, increases, or continuation of existing service levels. It also asks residents to prioritize budget spending and indicate whether they support or oppose tax increases to maintain or improve services and capital reserves.

The survey is open until October 18, 2024, and can be accessed online at townofws.ca/budgetsurvey.

Mayor Lovatt will also host a pre-budget consultation on October 17 to educate the community on Stouffville’s finances and how budgets are spent. Residents can share their priorities and help shape the draft budgets that will be presented to Council in November.

“Public engagement is critical in any policy that impacts residents, and the yearly budget process is no different,” Mayor Lovatt said in comments to Bullet Point News. “Helping the community understand the financial pressure facing the Town is an important step in the budgeting process.”

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in the Ringwood Room at the Town’s Municipal Offices, located at 111 Sandiford Drive.