2022 and 2023 City budget: Building our future

2022 and 2023 City budget

Building our Future

Learn more about Building our future in the City’s Strategic Plan

Strategic Plan priorities, performance indicators and initiatives

  • Maintain existing community assets and secure new ones
  • Help increase the availability of housing that meets community needs
  • Continue to build equitable, strong, vibrant, safe and healthy communities that foster resilience in the people who live here

View performance indicators and initiatives in the Guelph Future Ready Progress Report

Departments and programs

2022 and 2023 approved budget highlights

  • Maintaining our service delivery to a growing City, including the Capital Program Resourcing Strategy, with front-line and capital project staffing in Engineering Technical Services, Corporate Building Maintenance, Parks Operations, and Operations (road maintenance) in total four permanent positions in 2022, 6.5 permanent positions in 2023.
  • Maintaining the enhanced, separated cycling network as approved in the 2021 capital budget with 0.5 of a permanent position and related maintenance costs in 2022.
  • Rebalancing the City’s Infrastructure Renewal Strategy with the capacity to deliver capital projects, resulting in a slowing of the pace of this strategy in 2022 and 2023; doubling of the Canada Community-Building Fund grant of an extra $8 million in 2021 from the Federal Government is an enabling factor.
  • Council proposed and approved a capital funding reduction of $500,000 to the Growth Reserve Fund used to fund the tax supported cost of growth capital projects.
  • Maintaining the City’s base $500,000 investment in affordable housing.
  • Integration of the sports dome facility into the Recreation program budget at a net neutral impact including 0.4 of a permanent position.
  • Integration of the four-year Community Paramedicine program into the City budget; funded by the provincial government.
  • Budget impacts from the City’s local boards and shared service agencies including:
    • Guelph Police Service: the implementation of worn body cameras resulting in two positions in 2022 and one in 2023, plus one health and safety advisor, half an administration assistant, and 0.23 facility staff in 2022. In 2023 there is an addition of six positions (four uniformed and two civilian). Risk related to Prisoner Transportation Grant elimination as a result of provincial uploading plans is not included in the budget.
    • Guelph Public Library: the elimination of late fees, and the approval of a program manager to lead program design and implement the new Central Library
    • The Elliott: permanent request of compensation increases previously funded one-time by City in 2021, increased capital funding requirements to address backlog. Use of City reserves to phase-in impact over four years.
    • Guelph-Wellington-Dufferin Public Health and County of Wellington Social Services budget impacts are inflationary in nature at the time of writing this memo.
  • Continued implementation of the Paramedic Services Master Plan was approved as listed on the Strategic Investment Priority Summary including four paramedics in 2022, and one Supervisor and one administrative support position in 2023 with an offset of funding from the Tax Operating Contingency Reserve to bridge the one year lag in funding from the Ministry
  • Expansion of Community Benefit Agreement programs for Guelph Humane Society and Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition was approved as listed on the Strategic Investment Priority Summary with an offset of funding from the Tax Operating Contingency Reserve to phase-in the impact of the Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition request over two years.
  • Implementation of a three-tiered transit bus pass subsidy program was approved commencing in March 2022, as listed on the Strategic Investment Priority Summary.
  • Approval of up to $125,000 in funding for a pilot program for children under 12 to ride the bus for free commencing in March 2022.
  • Council approved additional one-time investment with $91,000 for Welcoming Streets Program and $50,000 for the Court Support Worker, and $120,000 to offset the cost of volunteer record checks.

2024 to 2031 budget forecast highlights

  • The opening of the South End Community Centre in 2025 including the operating impacts for programming and facility costs including an estimated 19.6 positions (phased-in since 2021 budget so impact to tax base is limited). Baker District redevelopment operating budgets not yet built into service budgets in 2025; however, will impact parking, library and open space budgets.
  • Improvement in bylaw response times and public communications through changes in dispatch delivery services through the addition of four administrative positions in 2025.
  • Continuation of asset management programs on the majority of the City’s facility assets, emergency service fleet, and parks and recreations amenities including seven positions from the Capital Program Resourcing Strategy, half a position in 2024 for maintaining the enhanced cycling network and one additional position in 2025 for growing sidewalk maintenance requirements.
  • Operations Campus facilities, and Paramedic Master Plan implementation pending funding approval as identified on the Strategic Investment Priority Summary. Operating impacts from the Operations Campus is still under development and not part of this forecast.
  • Guelph Police Service request for four uniform and two civilian positions in each of 2024 and 2025.

Local Boards and Shared Services budgets