2025 City Budget prioritizes housing, transit, and infrastructure while maintaining affordability

BRANTFORD, ON: Following the City Finance Committee’s ongoing monthly reviews of the City’s budget throughout the past year, and last week’s deliberations by the Estimates Committee, the Committee concluded their review of Year 2 of the City’s multi-year budget for direct City Services, as well as Board approved budgets for the City’s local boards and agencies. Following an extensive review and public engagement process, the proposed City services budget reflects the community’s priorities while addressing aging infrastructure, affordable housing, and the need for modern transit solutions.

Public Engagement Highlights

The public engagement campaign to inform the City’s 2025 budget directly engaged over 1,500 residents through surveys, focus groups, and consultations. Key findings included strong support for improving transit infrastructure, which was initially designed in the 1980s and requires substantial investment to address current needs. Additionally, a majority of participants emphasized the need to expand affordable housing options, improve public safety and balance development with the preservation of green spaces.

Investments for a growing city

The 2025 Budget makes targeted investments to meet community needs while maintaining affordability. Funding for housing support services has been properly prioritized in the City service portion of the budget, to expand housing programs and resources, which will address affordability and homelessness. The budget also begins a phased investment strategy to modernize the City’s transit system, making it more accessible and efficient.  

Additionally, the budget already includes a significant 19.2% increase over last year, for paramedic services to put another much-needed ambulance on the road. This important investment addresses the rapidly increasing demand for emergency medical services in our community, which is compounded by challenges within the hospital and primary care systems, such as hospital offload delays and the fact that 20% of residents do not have access to a family doctor. 

City Services and Local Boards & Agencies  

The property tax bill for residential properties consists of two components: City services, making up approximately 65 percent of the 2025 Budget; and service partners, including Brantford Police Services, John Noble Home, Brantford Public Library and the Brant County Health Unit, collectively accounting for approximately 35 percent of the final City budget. 

The recommended budget for the City Services portion of the 2025 City Operating Budget is $138,360,049 representing a budget impact of 4.36%, translating into an annual average residential property tax increase of $106.75 or $8.90 a month. 

At their meeting held December 4th, 2024, the Estimates Committee also considered budgets prepared by local boards and agencies. Council has varying influence over the budgets of these boards and agencies, as these entities do not report directly to Brantford City Council. Instead, Council is represented on the governing bodies/Boards to which these partners report. The cumulative budget impact of the external boards and agencies as presented is currently 6.92%; translating into an additional annual average residential property tax increase of $87.53 or $7.29 a month. Members of the Estimates Committee requested that the Brantford Police Services and Brant County Health Unit budgets be revisited by their respective Boards to consider further amendments. The recommendations of the Estimates Committee to inform the Mayor’s budget will be ratified at the City Council meeting on December 17, 2024.

“As Brantford continues to grow, so does the responsibility of maintaining and enhancing essential services while balancing affordability for the taxpayer," said Mayor Kevin Davis. "The proposed 2025 Budget reflects our commitment to addressing immediate and long-term needs in housing, transit, and infrastructure—critical investments that are essential to realizing the community’s vision for the future. Aligned with Council’s commitment to fostering growth while maintaining affordability, the City Services financial plan reflects our dedication to funding essential operational and capital needs that enhance residents’ quality of life. I look forward to presenting the Mayor’s budget to City Council and the community for further review in January.” 

A Special City Council meeting will be scheduled in January to finalize the 2025 City budget. For more information, residents are encouraged to visit brantford.ca/CityBudget.

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Media Contact:

Maria Visocchi - Director, Communications, Community Engagement and Customer Service 
City of Brantford | 519.751.4150 ext. 5754 | mvisocchi@brantford.ca

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