2021 budget passes with lowest tax hike in a decade
City council made few major changes as it approved the 2021 budget, with 1.83 per cent tax levy increase lowest since 2011.
Feb 3, 2021 8:04 AM By: Ian Kaufman
City council passed a 2021 budget with a 1.83 per cent tax levy hike before growth Tuesday.
THUNDER BAY – City council has tentatively set the 2021 municipal budget, making few major changes to the proposed version prepared by city administration.
The tax levy hike of 1.83 per cent (1.6 per cent after growth) is the lowest the city has seen since 2011, despite relatively anemic assessment growth of $465,000 in 2020.
Council made perhaps the most important budget decision in August, Mayor Bill Mauro argued, when it directed administration to hold the proposed tax levy increase to an unusually low 2.15 per cent (two per cent after growth) without making significant service cuts.
City freezes transit fares as it hones 2021 budget
Councillors look to make targeted investments while holding tax levy increase below two per cent.
Jan 28, 2021 9:14 AM By: Ian Kaufman
Thunder Bay Transit fares and fees will hold steady in 2021, following a vote of city council Wednesday. (Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)
THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay’s city council found room for some small, but hopefully impactful increases to the 2021 municipal budget Wednesday night, as it nears the end of a month-long review.
Councillors voted to freeze transit fares and boost budgets for the Waterfront BIA and city strategies on food, poverty, and aging at a Wednesday night meeting.
(Photo by Blair Wright)
THUNDER BAY – Looking to boost recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and spur improvements in its core business districts, the City of Thunder Bay has made it easier to access municipal grants for commercial property improvements.
Changes to the city’s Community Improvement Plan (CIP) approved unanimously by city council Monday will lower requirements such as the minimum amount that must be spent by the business in order to qualify for grants of up to $25,000.
CIP grants are meant to incentivize improvements such as renovations, façade improvements, and the installation of second-storey residential units.
Businesses in the north and south downtown cores, as well as commercial areas along Simpson and Frederica streets, are eligible for the grants.