The City of Windsor is launching a couple of new online tools it hopes will increase public engagement as it gets ready to deliberate the 2022 budget.
The first is called the Budget Balancing Simulator.
It provides residents with a copy of the balanced 2021 budget and gives them the chance to adjust spending on different services. The tools show how much tax revenue the city collected and how much it spent on services. After making adjustments, residents can submit their version of the budget to city administrators and councillors.
The second is a Tax Receipt Generator that displays how much of your property taxes go to each service.
Both tools are on the city's website until November 12 and cost about $23,000 to implement.
Mayor Drew Dilkens is looking forward to the submissions from the simulator and says they'll be taken into consideration at budget time.
"If the vast majority of the city, all of the sudden says, you know what? We want you to invest $100-million in whatever they say they want; it's going to make myself and city council look, evaluate, and say, is it reasonable? Is it something we need to pivot on now? We're here to respond to the community," said Dilkens.
Deputy Treasurer Tony Ardovini said they chose Balancing Act, the company that designed the tools, to get more people involved in the process.
"There's different municipalities across North America, and specifically quite a few here in Ontario, that are moving towards increased public consultation using this tool," he explained.
Windsor's ten-year capital plan calls for a $1.6-billion investment in local infrastructure. More than $170-million will go to roads, sidewalks, and street lighting, while $50-million is earmarked for sewers and flood prevention. The city is also spending $17.5-million on parks, playgrounds and trails. More than $21.1-million will increase routes and enhance cleaning on Transit Windsor buses.