The Guelph Affordability Plan
Delivering on affordability means tackling costs from all directions: reducing pressure on property taxes by strengthening City finances, while investing in services and programs that help lower the everyday cost of living.
Leanne won't make an arbitrary tax-cut promise she knows will be impossible to deliver. Instead, she'll focus on what she can deliver: disciplined financial management, efficiencies without sacrificing services, strategic investments that save residents and the City money over time, and new sources of revenue that reduce our reliance on property taxes.
By making better choices today, we can keep taxes more sustainable, protect the services people rely on, and make life more affordable within five years.
Leanne’s Affordability Plan is responsible, realistic, and responsive. It is built on three financial pillars that seasoned financial professionals know are key to delivering results: efficiency, strategic investment, and new revenue.
Less talk. More action.
Only Leanne can deliver.
Serious leadership means focusing on the choices we can make here in Guelph, and acting on them.
Leanne has a plan. Not a “pass the buck” plan, but a real plan with actions that translate into short- and long-term tax relief, stability, and investments in services that reduce costs for residents.
Leanne has the experience. She’s Chair of Corporate Services at the City, understands how City Hall works, and knows where the financial pressures are. She has a business background. At the U of G, Leanne is responsible for generating $55+ million annually and has exceeded revenue targets every year of her career. She has run her own successful small business, worked in the non-profit and private sectors, and is a graduate of Lang School of Business.
Leanne has the compassion. She knows that service cuts affect low-income families the most and end up costing more in the long run. Leanne won’t defer today’s challenges onto the next generation, and she won’t leave anyone behind.
Leanne has the leadership. She doesn’t give directives using strong mayor powers or tell staff to do the heavy lifting. She brings people into the room to innovate and problem-solve. She listens to the community, seeks out best practices, and looks for data to inform decisions.
Delivering with accountability.
A plan is only as good as the results it delivers. As part of her commitment to an open and collaborative City Hall, Leanne will make affordability a measurable, City-wide priority, report publicly on our progress every year, and reinvest verified savings into finding even better ways to serve residents.
Leanne commits to:
1. Engage residents, business, industry, and service providers early in an annual budget process, so community priorities help shape the budget before key decisions are made. When Leanne tables the budget, it will truly be “The People’s Budget.”
2. Establish an Innovation and Efficiency Reserve where a portion of verified annual savings is reinvested into future efficiency and strategic investment projects.
3. Make affordability a City-wide priority by integrating affordability metrics into departmental business plans and senior leadership performance objectives.
4. Publish an annual Affordability Report Card, including reporting on progress and savings for actions identified in this Affordability Plan, including but not limited to:
▪ Operating cost per resident
▪ Cost savings achieved
▪ New revenue generated
▪ Infrastructure renewal progress
▪ Energy savings
▪ Grant funding secured
