BUILDING TOMORROW’S MONTRÉAL

2018 Montréal Budget

Message from the mayor

When people made their choice on November 5th, they sent us a clear message. They told us not to lose sight of their priorities, namely to invest in the services and infrastructure that make a difference in their daily lives. This is the direction we have taken with this administration’s first budget, which will allow us to start building the city of tomorrow.

Our city, which is being transformed through technological, demographic and climatic changes, must also make room for new businesses, new approaches and newcomers. We are building a city for all Montrealers - those who have been established here for many years and those who chose to settle here and participate in its economic, cultural and social momentum. It is for all these people that we must prepare Montréal for the challenges of tomorrow. It is for them that we have to offer safe living environments where they can grow and participate. We also need to provide challenging and innovative professional environments.

The choice of services

Immediately upon taking office, we were informed about the state of city’s public finances and we made choices that will enable us to offer the services which citizens expect and deserve. All this, while catching up on decades of underinvestment in our infrastructure and our road and public transportation networks.

We are respecting our commitment with regards to property taxes in order to meet general needs, while enhancing support programs so that Montrealers can more easily become homeowners. As soon as the green light is given by the Government of Quebec, we will implement a new program which will support the creation of social and community housing units. We also have an obligation to make an additional effort in order to maintain our water infrastructure, which is currently in very poor condition and requires a major increase in investments.

Montréal taxpayers bear a heavy financial burden and we have an obligation to offer the best possible services. These services which are at the heart of the priorities and decisions of our administration, are mainly offered in the boroughs. We will always make sure to mobilize and provide adequate resources in order to focus on these priorities.

We have also taken the necessary actions to create financial leeway that will allow us to provide Montrealers with efficient and quality services. We believe that it is possible to increase mobility and access to homeownership while developing more family-friendly, attractive and safe living environments for all.

Over the next four years, we will ensure that the interests of citizens are our top priority. Improved financial management and priority spending and investments will ensure that this goal is met. With this budget, we are taking the first step in this direction.

Valérie Plante Mayor of Montréal

Message from the Chairman of the Executive Committee

When the Mayor of Montréal entrusted me with the task of completing the preparation of the budget which was initiated by the previous administration, my main challenge was to provide sufficient leeway in order to reorient our efforts towards the priorities of the population.

Our administration became aware of the budgetary situation and worked to develop a budget of $5,472.2 million, up 5.2% from 2017. The real increase is 2,7% or $139.5 million, while excluding two particular expenses: one related to the “Réflexe Montréal” agreement and secondly, one relative to the effects of transition measures for pension plans. Since nearly 70% of municipal revenues come directly from the taxpayers, our capacity for action is limited. That’s why we are fully aware of the importance of making the right choices to start building the Montréal of tomorrow.

This budget illustrates the will of our administration to ensure that the boroughs can offer quality local services. We have indexed their transfers by 1%. In collaboration with the boroughs, we will ensure that the Ville de Montréal preserves its coherence of action, while applying the budgetary discipline necessary for the proper management of public funds.

In addition, we have made efforts to optimize our resources, which have the effect of stabilizing the central services budget. The Five-Year Workforce Plan, whose performance will be re-evaluated, will generate savings of $9.7 million in personnel costs. Pay increases and indexing of other groups of expenses will be covered by the budgets of these services. The total budgetary constraint of central services therefore amounts to $82.2 million.

We will ensure that the projects that will be proposed to our citizens will be based on studies which demonstrate their long-term viability and allow us to better plan the economic development of Montréal. We will also ensure that the projects and events that will be put forward are beneficial in order to offer the maximum tangible results for Montrealers.

Housing, as well as public transit, is a cornerstone of Montréal’s economic and social development. Major investments are therefore necessary.

Starting this year, our administration will invest $10.5 million in order to help families access home ownership, which represents $21 million on an annual basis. This investment will allow more Montrealers than ever to benefit from the subsidy program to acquire a home.

We are also aware of the importance of the rental market, since more than 60% of residents are tenants. That’s why we are investing an additional $1 million to build a 30-person cleanliness brigade.13 additional people will be added to the current team in order to ensure that tenant households have access to quality housing. With these new resources, we will systematically and diligently tackle the very real and recurrent problem of housing insalubrity.

A large part of the 2018 budget is devoted to a major issue for Montrealers, namely mobility. Our contribution to the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain will increase by $27.7 million in order to better meet the needs of users. We have also reorganized resources to begin building the mobility squad, which will allow us to have a more coordinated and comprehensive approach to traffic issues.

Moreover, thanks to our status as a metropolis, we will invest, as early as this year, $30 million to set up programs to support the economic development of our city. We will also set up a merchant assistance program for business owners negatively impacted by construction projects.

Our administration is also announcing its firm intention to build the Montréal of tomorrow with a more representative diverse workforce which better represents Montréal’s reality. Over the next year, we will invest $1.5 million in order to help more Montrealers have access and be able to join our public service.

We are aware of the additional effort we are asking of taxpayers in order to have safe infrastructures, and that is why elected officials will have to lead by example. Elected officials will be the only employees in the City who will not receive a salary increase and will see some of their social benefits cut.

In this transition budget, we made choices for the future of our city. These choices not only reflect our values, but also the necessary efforts required so that Montréal can move forward and make up for delays accumulated over past years.

Benoit Dorais Chairman of the Executive Committee