Introduction

With an economic slowdown and an ever increasing demand on municipal services, the City of Vaughan will consult widely with residents in the development of the 2010 Operating Budget, according to new guidelines approved by Council on June 30, 2009.

While demand for its services continues to increase, the City is faced with infrastructure needs and limited revenues in a recessionary economy. To respond to these challenges Council has passed the 2010 Operating Budget and Business Planning Guidelines. These guidelines set the parameters under which the City will develop a sustainable Budget for 2010. Included in the guidelines are specific actions designed to minimize any tax increase while maintaining services, which include:

• Freezing the majority of budgets at 2009 levels
• Developing a strategy to increase non-taxation revenues
• Evaluating vacant staff positions prior to recruitment
• Introducing voluntary time off without pay
• Reducing specific budgets below 2009 levels
• Funding allocated for expenses such as travel, meals, overtime and furniture to be reduced by 10 per cent.
• Stronger evaluation processes and service reviews of department needs and performances to better align budget allocations with Vaughan Vision 2020 strategic goals
• More rigorous evaluation of departmental funding requests in order to better reflect the realities of the current economic climate
• Limiting budget increases to pre-existing commitments, such as employment agreements and service contracts

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