Belleville City Hall Council Chambers. Photo by Jessyka Maliksi
By: Jessyka Maliksi [1]
BELLEVILLE – The City of Belleville’s council [2] will meet later this month to vote on increasing the overall operating budget to match inflation rates. The proposed budget includes the improvements to policing and public library.
On Feb. 27 the City of Belleville’s council will be meeting to discuss the 2024 operating budget. [3]
The operating budget outlines the expenses necessary to provide city services to residents.
In a public survey released in Dec. 2023, more than a quarter of respondents expressed a willingness to support a tax increase matching inflation rate to maintain services.
The inflation rate in Canada is currently 3.4%.
According to Belleville Mayor, Neil Ellis [4], the target goal for the 2024 budget was 5%.
In the survey, the public also advocated for enhancements in the city’s doctor recruitment program as well as for social and family services.
Ellis told QNet News that there are funds available to recruit as many doctors as they can.
The program started about 15 years ago under Ellis’ leadership and so far, they’ve attracted over 40 doctors, he said.
The public also wants improvements in road and sidewalk maintenance.
Ellis said there are funds in the capital budget to do some repairs on them this year.
“We won’t get them all done. It’s a never-ending saga,” he said, “But we’re doing our best job to get them up to par.”
Another big concern that the public wants the new operating budget to address is the homelessness and housing crisis happening in the city.
Ellis said homelessness and housing fall under provincial jurisdiction and council continues to ask for help with it from MPP Todd Smith. [5]
“Our council has challenged the province with our MPP, Todd Smith, to bring more money and have some permanent solutions for homelessness,” he said.
https://www.qnetnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/MAYOR-ELLIS.mp3 [6]“It doesn’t build a house. It doesn’t provide any type of shelter,” Ellis said, “All governments have got to work together to come up with a solution.”
Another issue the public wants the city to deal with through this year’s operating budget is police services.
According to the respondents there is a need for enhanced police presence, specifically in the downtown area. That issue came up again this week after there were 17 overdoses reported in the downtown on Tuesday afternoon and evening.
Others have expressed their discontent with the police services in the city, especially with the amount of money going into it.
Belleville police are proposing a nearly 11% increase in their budget this year.
Ellis said investing in emergency services is a must in this budget.
Ellis told QNet News that police calls have been up about 2,000 since 2022.
Last year the council hired four new officers, but before that there had been no new hires since 2015 said Ellis.
In this year’s police budget, there are eight new policemen budgeted. Ellis said because the city is constantly growing, improving and adding to Belleville emergency services are important to this budget.
Ellis is aware 11% is a high increase compared to their 5% goal, but he said it’s a reasonable increase.
“This is the first in the history of the city police force that all calls are not finished by the time of change of shifts,” he said, “Next shift coming on and they’re backlogged with calls already.”
Ellis said hiring more officers will help with the call volume and street patrolling.
Another major topic being discussed in the 2024 operating budget meeting is an increase for the Belleville Public Library.
The library is asking for a $2.6 million budget with a 3.9% increase according to Trevor Pross [7], the CEO of the Belleville Public Library and John M. Parrott Art Gallery [8].
Pross said there isn’t much change in the operating budget from last to this year.
The budget increase is mainly for salaries, said Pross.
https://www.qnetnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/TREVOR-PROSS.mp3 [9]Pross said increasing the library budget will help them maintain their services to the public.
“It just helps us to maintain the service and to keep up with inflation,” said Pross, “Our costs are going up, just like everybody else’s.”
Mayor Ellis said his priority with the operating budget is to keep the services going.
He said the city provides about 70% of the services that are used in everyday life and operating budgets are important to keep those going.