Every dollar the City spends comes from someone — a family, a senior, a small business, a neighbour. 

Taxpayer Respect means remembering that. 

It means listening to residents before major decisions are made. It means making sure City spending has a purpose and delivers results. And it means growing Hamilton’s economy and tax base so we aren’t always asking existing taxpayers to carry more. 

As Mayor, Keanin Loomis will bring that approach to City Hall through three commitments. 

City Hall shouldn't keep spending money simply because it spent that money last year.

We will introduce Zero-Based Budgeting so City services are regularly required to show what they deliver, what it costs and whether there is a better way.

Keep what works. Fix what doesn't.

Our Zero-Based Budgeting will protect essential services. This is about finding waste and getting better value — not cutting the services Hamilton relies on.

We won't save a dollar today just to cost taxpayers two tomorrow.

We will review how City Hall is organized and run — including management, staffing, resources and where work may be duplicated or unnecessarily complicated.

The goal is simple: better service, better decisions and better value for taxpayers.

This is not about blaming frontline City employees. The people doing the work often know where the problems are and how they can be fixed. They should be part of making City Hall work better.

Your money. Your voice. Real accountability. 

Hamilton residents should have a meaningful role in shaping the City budget before the big decisions are made. 

Keanin will open the process earlier, give residents clear information about the choices facing the City, and make it easier to understand what different decisions mean for services and taxes. 

City programs and spending will be expected to demonstrate their purpose, results and value. 

And once decisions are made, residents deserve to know what happened: what we heard, what changed, why decisions were made and what their money accomplished. 

More investment. More jobs. A stronger tax base. 

Taxpayer Respect isn’t only about how we spend. It’s also about growing Hamilton. 

Keanin will make Hamilton more competitive for new investment by learning what businesses need to choose our city, identifying barriers we can fix, and making sure Hamilton is ready when opportunities arise. 

When provincial or federal support can help unlock an important investment, the Mayor should be Hamilton’s strongest advocate.

A growing commercial and industrial tax base means more jobs and economic opportunity — and less pressure on existing residential taxpayers to carry the load. 

Taxpayer Respect isn’t about saying no to every investment or promising that everything will cost less. 

It’s about treating every taxpayer dollar like it matters. 

Listen before making decisions. Spend with purpose. Show the results. Grow our economy. Share the load.