Waterfront, technology, and climate change top Whitby residents priority list

Whitby residents recently shared their top priorities with the town in the latest budget engagement process and the results are in. Survey says residents most want to see improvements to the lakeshore, improved municipal technologies and more work to address climate change.

The town opened up the survey online from May to July to receive feedback on budget priorities. In that time roughly 3,300 respondents engaged with the program. New this year, the town launched both a priority-based survey and a budget simulator.

This simulator “showed the financial impacts of their choices in real time as they increased, decreased, or kept funding the same for key municipal service areas. Overall, most participants want to keep funding the same for the Town’s various service areas,” Whitby wrote.

Additionally, the priority survey allowed residents to assign up to $100,000 to various projects in town. The above-mentioned were the top three of seven options.

Last year, voters indicated they wanted revitalization of the downtowns, creating more green spaces, and enhancing the quality of the Town’s indoor and outdoor facilities.

In the time since Whitby secured a $90,000 federal grant to rejuvenate Roebuck Street in Brooklin, launched a park plan review and broke ground on the new Whitby Sports Complex.

The 160,000-square-foot complex will feature a twin-pad arena, an aquatics centre, a double gymnasium, a wellness studio, a three-lane walking track, meeting rooms and arts and cultural spaces when it’s complete. It’s expected to open next year. Additionally, Whitby recently unveiled a new cricket pitch.

The next step in the budget process is to develop a proposed town budget that meets the goals residents want. The proposed budget will be presented to town council and released to the public sometime in November or December.

The budgets are funded largely by property taxes. Whitby carries some of the highest property taxes in Ontario. The town ranks the third highest tax bills in the province, according to a recent Zoocasa study.

Whitby’s average bill of $13,184 ranks behind only King ($17,910) and Scugog ($13,477). Uxbridge ($12,617), Ajax ($12,491) and Pickering ($12,300) round out the top six. Clarington ranks 12th, Oshawa 14th, and Brock 21st.

However, only about three per cent of all taxes paid in a year (including income tax etc.) goes to the municipal level.