Brantford City Council endorsed the proposed 2022 capital budget during their Estimates Committee meeting on Monday, January 17.
The proposed capital budget of $133,814,553 million will require ratification at the next City Council meeting on January 25, 2022.
Once approved, a majority of the capital budget will be invested in City assets and infrastructure upgrades and urgent renewal projects. With their capital budget, Council will focus on key areas including transportation infrastructure, water and wastewater infrastructure, improving the quality of life for residents and affordable housing.
In 2022, $2,529,348 will be invested in much needed capital repairs of the City’s existing inventory of affordable housing. New development projects previously approved including Trillium Way and 177 Colborne St. will also be implemented in 2022. With over 1,400 households on the community housing waitlist, whereby new non-senior applicants with no dependents make up 40% of the list, the need for more affordable housing in our community has never been more acute.
The City’s Operational Services Department maintains over 1,200 lane kilometers of roads and 600 kilometers of sidewalk. To keep the city moving safely and efficiently, over $30 million will be invested in improving the City’s transportation infrastructure including upgrades to bridges, roads, sidewalks, Brantford Transit and Brantford Lift.
The City of Brantford has a strong tradition and long history of providing public recreation, sport and cultural opportunities to residents and visitors in places that encourage healthy lifestyles and make neighbourhoods more vibrant. In 2022 the City will invest over $6.8 million in parks, playgrounds and open spaces that significantly contribute to people’s quality of life, now more than ever.
Evidenced by the Gold Recognition the City received in 2021 as the only treatment facility to achieve a perfect score as evaluated by the Grand River Watershed-wide Wastewater Optimization Program, the City takes great pride in the high quality and standards of our water system to ensure the delivery of safe and high-quality water to residents. We also remain dedicated to increasing service capacity and replacement of aging water and wastewater infrastructure to meet the water and wastewater service needs of our growing community. Over $31 million will be invested in water and wastewater infrastructure projects in 2022.
The Estimates Committee will resume on January 31, 2022 to consider the City’s 2022 operating budget. For more information regarding the City’s 2022 budget process, please visit brantford.ca/CityBudget.
