Town of Lincoln 2022 Budget

Consultation has concluded. Stay tuned for the 2023 Budget page coming in July 2022.

How your Town Budget Works

What’s in the 2022 Budget?

Capital Budget

The 2022 Capital Budget was presented to the Committee of the Whole - Budget on October 13. Below are some highlights on infrastructure spending according to categories of Transportation, Environmental Services, Social Infrastructure and Corporate Infrastructure. (Long-term borrowing reflects annual principal and interest payments to repay long-term borrowing taken out for completed capital projects.)

pie chart of 2022 Capital Budget Project Spending according to corporate infrastructure, Environment and Safety, Social infrastructure, Transportation and Long-Term Financing

Description of Infrastructure

Portfolio	Group	Description	Project Spending
Transportation View proposed 2022 projects	Roads, bridges and culverts	Roads (arterials, collectors, local, and curb and gutter)	$27,642,000
Transportation View proposed 2022 projects	Traffic control and calming	Signs, markings and parking metres	$27,642,000
Environmental Services View proposed 2022 projects	Water and wastewater	Sanitary, storm and combined sewers (manholes, catchbasins), and service connections	$1,495,000
Environmental Services View proposed 2022 projects	Fire rescue	Specialized emergency equipment, communications equipment and dispatch system	$1,495,000
Social Infrastructure View proposed 2022 projects	Community facilities	All recreation equipment and cemeteries	$1,268,436
	Parks	Horticulture, trails, hard surfaces, playgrounds, sports fields, park infrastructure and parks
	Library	Library network, contents and materials
Corporate Infrastructure View proposed 2022 projects	Buildings	Civic offices, public works, operation facilities, recreation facilities, libraries and emergency response buildings	$1,873,900
	Fleet	Municipal vehicles, transit fleet and shop equipment
	Technology equipment	Servers, network, all communication equipment
Long-Term Financing	---	---	$2,154,903
		Total	$34,434,239

Key Proposed 2022 Capital Investments by Ward

Operating Budget

The 2022 Operating Budget was deliberated on November 10 by the Budget - Committee of the Whole. At that meeting, Budget - COW approved the 2022 Town of Lincoln Budget, which was ratified by Lincoln Council at its November 15 meeting.

Impact on Total 2022 Tax Bill per $375,000 of Residential Assessment

Meeting Council Priorities Through an Open and Transparent Budget Process

Each year, the Town of Lincoln creates an operating budget and a capital budget, as well as a 10-year capital forecast.

The Town of Lincoln extremely values the input of all residents, businesses owners and stakeholders alike towards the critical decisions made on our annual budget. There are many factors that affect the Town’s budget, and Town staff continually balance necessary costs and priorities while maintaining the service levels that our community expects. Activities and expectations for the Town are directly tied in with the 2019 – 2022 Council Priorities set out by Council in 2019.

Where do my taxes go?

Tax Distribution

Lincoln’s tax bill accounts for three agencies. In addition to the Town of Lincoln’s portion of the tax bill, property taxes pay for the delivery of services by Niagara Region and the School Boards. The Town of Lincoln accounts for 37%, Niagara Region for 51% and School Boards for 12%.

Services provided by your Property Tax Bill (per $100 spent)

Town of Lincoln Services / 36.55%	Niagara Region Services / 50.92%	Education / 12.53%
Roads, Sidewalks & Transit.... $12.11	Niagara Regional Police Services.... $20.53	Education (school boards).... $12.53
Parks, Recreation & Culture.... $10.20	Regional Roads & Transit.... $9.42
Lincoln Fire Rescue... $4.39	Regional Community Services.... $6.15
Legislative & Administrative... $4.36	Public Health... $5.02
Lincoln Public Library..... $2.33	Niagara Regional Housing.... $4.39
Planning & Municipal Enforcement.... $1.85	Regional Waste Management.... $3.59
Economic Development..... $1.14	Regional Administrative Services.... $1.12
Health & Social Services.... $0.17	Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.... $0.70

Value for Tax Dollar

The following graph outlines the distribution of Lincoln's share of the tax bill per $1 spent on the Operating Budget.

Service Area	Share of the Tax Bill
Parks, Facilities, Recreation and Culture	24 cents
Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure	21 cents
Capital Levy and Special Infrastructure Levy	16 cents
Legislative, Administrative and General Government	13 cents
Fire Rescue Service	11 cents
Planning and Municipal Law Enforcement	6 cents
Agencies, Boards and Committees	6 cents
Economic Development and Tourism	3 cents

Taxpayer Affordability

Lincoln remains one of the most affordable municipalities* when considering property taxes as a per cent of household income:

3rd lowest in property taxes only
4th lowest in water/sewer rates & property taxes

*Among local municipalities in Niagara.