At last Sunday’s annual Mayor’s Levee at City Hall, Barrie’s first citizen outlined his goals and aspirations for the coming year, but definitely put housing at the top of his wish list.
“We’ve made lots of progress,” Lehman told Barrie Today in the City Hall rotunda. “But more affordable housing is what I’d like to accomplish most, providing help to those in most desperate need...The city has reached out to partners such as faith communities, the county, and local advocates to end homelessness. We can point with pride to a development on Brook Street (near Bayview Avenue and Burton Avenue), in which there are 50 affordable units.”
Lehman also credited homeowners for adding second suites to their units to take in more renters, at a time when rents in the city have skyrocketed along with housing prices.
The city has set 840 affordable units as a target by 2024, noting that 121 were created in the strategy’s first year. Lehman points to the success of the city in the six years since he took over as mayor, but cautions about leaving a certain portion of the citizenry behind.
“Enjoy the prosperity,” he said. “But be mindful of those not so well off.”
The mayor also boasted a little of a city setting its own course for the future, independent of what’s going on in other jurisdictions. For one thing, the city set a new record for the number and value of industrial building permits in one year. He cautions, though, that such prosperity is a double-edged sword.
“This prosperity is wonderful news if you’re downsizing, not so much if you’re thinking of buying a house,” he said, noting the rise in property values.
The balancing act of raising taxes while not charging taxpayers out of house and home is on the minds of most Barrie residents these days.
An initial target hike of 3 per cent is what Lehman and council have to work with. The matter will all come to a head at a meeting on Monday, Feb. 6.
Federal MP John Brassard was also on hand, and Lehman emphasized the close relationship the city enjoys with Ottawa.
The mayor also paid tribute to Honorary Colonel Jamie Massie for his role in building the relationship with nearby Base Borden.
