Provide Your Input on the 2023 Municipal Budget

Dec 5, 2022

The City of Greater Sudbury is preparing the municipal budget for City Council’s review and approval early in 2023. Staff has been directed to prepare a plan that delivers services at a cost that includes no more than a 3.7 per cent property tax increase from 2022. As part of this process, we want you to share your feedback on the services, programs and projects that matter most to you.

Factors Influencing the 2023 Budget

Municipal budgets must be balanced. They cannot commit the municipality to provide more services than revenue will support. The City uses a series of long-range financial plans to forecast revenues and expenditures for the next 10 years. These plans inform staff’s initial advice to City Council about how best to meet service expectations and sustain the municipality’s financial condition. 

The City of Greater Sudbury provides over 50 unique lines of service that each provide value to various segments of the community. To maintain current service levels using existing revenue streams and operating methods, property taxes would need to increase by 9.3 per cent. This is not realistic. Therefore, adjustments will be required to balance the budget and keep total costs within the 3.7 per cent guideline established by Council. That means the budget needs to be reduced by at least $17.7 million from 2022 levels.

Significant items influencing the 2023 budget include:

  • Increased costs to build or maintain the City’s assets, such as roads and buildings.
  • Funds that support the City’s asset renewal and replacement projects and help smooth out funding requirements in future periods.
  • Rising inflation and contractual obligations that affect a variety of costs, including salaries and benefits, fuel, utilities and insurance.
  • Service partner budgets where the City of Greater Sudbury funds some of their cost through property taxes, such as Greater Sudbury Police Services, Public Health Sudbury and Districts and Conservation Sudbury.
  • Obligations to fund asset renewal decisions made in previous years, where debt financing was used.
  • New service obligations for community health care that include a Supervised Consumption Site and Transitional Housing.
  • New legislated requirements, such as additional firefighter training and certification.

There are several options to balance the 2023 budget. Instead of changing tax levels, Council could choose to adjust service levels, change user fees or redesign how services are delivered. Community feedback on your priorities for municipal programs, services and projects is an important part of the information Council will use to decide the 2023 budget.

How to Provide Your Feedback

Community consultation on the 2023 budget is open until December 6. Residents may complete a survey by visiting overtoyou.greatersudbury.ca, visiting their nearest public library, Citizen Service Centre, the One Stop Services at Tom Davies Square or by calling 311. The feedback gathered will be shared with Council prior to budget deliberations which begin in February 2023.

Once the proposed budget is tabled in January 2023, the City will host a second round of engagement to inform the public about the proposed budget and enable two-way dialogue through a virtual Town Hall session and question and answer opportunities. This second round of public consultation will conclude prior to budget deliberations which will begin in mid-February.

Alignment with Corporate Plans and Strategies

The City’s budget is developed to align with other plans such as the City’s Long-Term Financial Plan and the Strategic Plan 2019-2027. The Long-Term Financial Plan is updated annually and allows the City to understand the long-term impact of financial decisions made today. It offers flexibility to meet infrastructure requirements while supporting fiscal sustainability and is used as a benchmark for operating and capital budgeting and forecasting. The Strategic Plan outlines the City’s strategic direction and key priorities for the next several years. The City’s budget is developed to align with these priorities.

All of the City of Greater Sudbury’s plans and historical financial information are available on our website.

To learn more about the City’s 2023 budget visit www.greatersudbury.ca/budget

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