Miller re-election announcement.
Mayor David Miller with his family and campaign members, announces his decision to not run for re-election at a press conference in September of last year. Miller has called city media together for an 'important announcement' on the morning of Wednesday, March 10, 2010. (Sept. 25, 2009)
Staff file photo/DAVID NICKLE
Is he going to resign immediately or has he changed his mind and decided, after all, to run for mayor?
As it turns out, neither. Toronto Mayor David Miller’s big announcement on Wednesday, March 10, turned out to be ... a bigger than expected surplus with the city budget – about $350 million instead of the initially forecast $250 million.
And that extra $100 million, he said, in his much anticipated announcement will be divided between the present and the future.
Some of it will be used immediately to reduce the expected municipal tax hike for both home and business owners. And some will be tucked away for next year to guarantee another balanced budget.
Miller also announced the city will undertake a two-year budget process in the future. Miller defended the strategy as being prudent, anticipating in advance criticism from the right wing of council who would channel the surplus entirely into cutting taxes further, and the left wing who would put it all back into city services.
Mayor Miller’s announcement of a budget surplus turned out to be a bit of let-down after Tuesday’s cryptic notice of the impending Wednesday a.m. press conference created quite a stir in the media.
He also reiterated the city’s long held concern that the province has to resume funding the TTC again.
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