Durham Region hosting town hall for feedback on 2022 budget serving Clarington to Pickering

The Region of Durham is hosting a virtual meeting to hear community concerns regarding the 2022 Regional Budget.

The event will be hosted on October 20. Residents who would like to ask questions can register and [email protected]. They are asked to leave their phone number in the email.

Durham’s Chief Administrative Officer Elaine Baxter-Trahair and Finance Commissioner Nancy Taylor will attend the meeting alongside other members of Regional leadership.

The budget breaks down into two parts. Firstly, services funded by property taxes, such as Durham Region Police or Durham Region Transit. Second is services funded by utility bills, such as water sewer services.

In a recent guideline report Taylor recommends the Region to cap the budgets tax increase at two per cent over 2021 levels, with an additional .25 per cent increase earmarked for DRPS’s new body cameras.

She also recommended a 3.35 increase in the police budget in that report, putting funding for DRPS over a quarter of a billion dollars.

The first part of the budget will be approved by Regional Council by February 23, 2022. The second part will be approved earlier on December 22.

Residents can stream the town hall at 6:30 p.m. on October 20.