Hamilton City Council met last Thursday (Feb. 19) to ratify the results of votes made at the budget amendment committee meetings that were held on Feb. 6 and Feb. 13.
Over those past two meetings, Councillors had the opportunity to bring forward amendments to Mayor Andrea Horwath’s “Mayoral Budget,” the details of which were released on Jan. 23 and showed a residential property tax increase of 4.25 per cent.
No further amendments to the budget were brought forward at the Feb. 19 meeting, but all of the votes from the Feb. 6 and Feb. 13 meetings were ratified.
Some of the items were voted on an additional time, although none of the final results of any of the motions were changed despite a few switched votes.
Staff updated Council that, with the approved amendments, the average residential property tax increase currently stands at 3.87 per cent or $209.
Since Horwath’s budget was presented on Jan. 23, a total of 14 changes have been made.
Those changes include the reduction of the tax levy by $5,528,847 (-0.44 percentage points) and the addition of $554,050 to the tax levy (+0.04 percentage points).
Details on the Feb. 6 and Feb. 13 meetings can be found in previous articles in The Hamilton Independent here.
The first change that was made was a reversal of plans to decommission the Stoney Creek Arena, adding $161,375 to the budget, which will be funded by reserves and thus has no impact on the levy.
At the Feb. 6 amendment meeting, amendments to contingencies for Public Works capital projects reduced the levy by $593,000 (-0.05 percentage points), and deferral to funding biking infrastructure on King Street across the Red Hill Valley Parkway reduced the levy by $706,580 (-0.06 percentage points).
At that same meeting, Council opted to increase the Hamilton Farmer’s Market budget, adding $25,000 to the levy (+0.002 percentage points) and increase the Hamilton Public Library budget, adding $373,050 to the levy (+0.03 percentage points).
Council also opted to extend non-residential blue box collection at a cost of $2,118,000, funded from reserves, which means no impact on the 2026 levy.
At the Feb. 13 meeting, Council voted to reduce contingencies for 2026 Planning and Economic Development Capital Projects (reducing the levy by $182,490 or -0.01 percentage points), defer a portion of funds from the Transfer Station/Recycling Centre Maintenance and Capital Improvement Program (reducing the levy by $300,000 or -0.02 percentage points), cancel up-front funding for process improvement and efficiency projects (reducing the levy by $700,000 or -0.06 percentage points), defer the funding of historical Development Charge exemptions to the 2027 budget process (reducing the levy by $3 million or -0.24 percentage points), end free meals for elected members and senior leadership (reducing the levy by $26,777 or -0.002 percentage points), and cancel plans for a traffic signal on Centre Road (reducing the levy by $20,000 or -0.002 percentage points).
At the same meeting, Council voted to continue grass cutting on city-owned and private property urban right-of-ways and boulevards (adding $156,000 to the levy or $0.01 percentage points).
Council also voted to hire 10 paramedics this year instead of the five, at a cost of $728,510, which will be funded by reserves and have no impact on the 2026 levy.
Horwath now has 10 days (until March 1) to consider Council amendments and, since she has strong mayor powers, can veto any of them.
If she does not veto any amendments, then the budget is deemed to be adopted.
If she does decide to veto any amendments, then within 15 days of the expiry of the veto period, Council may seek to override the veto, which is only possible with a two-thirds majority vote.
During the amendment committee meetings, Horwath voted against two different motions that passed: the motion to defer the funding of historical development charge exemptions to 2027 ($3 million reduction to the levy or -0.24 percentage points) and the motion to increase funding to the Hamilton Public Library ($373,050 increase to the levy or +0.03 percentage points).
With the tax increase currently at 3.87 per cent, if Horwath chooses to veto both of those amendments, the 2026 tax increase would actually rise to 4.08 per cent.
If Horwath only chooses to veto the increase in funding to the Hamilton Public Library, then the 2026 tax increase would decrease to 3.84 per cent.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
