City braces for 'no' from province over funding

The city is considering service cuts, user fee hikes and property tax increases to ease a potential $31.5- million budget shortfall next year.

City staff originally predicted a $15-million deficit, mostly due to a projected increase in welfare claims, shrinking recycling revenue and a drop in water consumption.

However, that figure assumed the city would receive $16.5 million from the province to help cover the cost of social services.

In light of the province's $25-billion deficit, officials now say they're worried Hamilton won't receive a helping hand from the province -- a move that would send city's deficit soaring to $31.5 million.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger told council members at a budget update yesterday that they should "prepare themselves" for the possibility of being cut out of provincial funding.

Comments

[michael hampson]

There is only one comeunity, all divisions are illusions, therefore, its all our money, the government comes from the people, to do whats in our best interest.
I THINK? we should give tax incentives to green industries and RE-THINK? our economic model-country wide as well as here in Hamilton. The reasonsfor the economic recession implores this, coupled with the environmemts changes of patterns-Whatever its cause(s).