Over the last decade, two-thirds of budget increases have been going to cover salaries, which includes a growing contingent of well-paid bureaucrats.

In 2014, the roster of employees earning six figure salaries grew by a staggering 36 per cent (426 in 2014 from 313 on the list the previous year).

The 2016 budget document includes an operating budget of $607 million, an increase of $36.3 million over 2015.

Driving operations again next year will be labour.

Collective agreements with transit and fire services are up for renewal in 2016. The city has budget $5.3 million to cover wage increases (or the equivalent $26 per year on the average residential tax bill).

The city has negotiated contracts with union support staff, which will add $2.6 million to the wage bill.

City’s projected labour cost (salaries and benefits) for 2016 is $359,140,000 or approximately 59 per cent of the total budget ($606,852,000).

For 2016, councillors in September voted themselves a seven per cent raise and beefed-up benefits package, with an anticipated budget impact of $182,000.

The new pay structure for councillors will cost taxpayers an additional $546,000 over the balance of this term of office.

Councillors bumped up their wages in lieu of eliminating the one-third of their salary that is tax-exempt.

Included in the fiscal plan for 2016 is $113.3 million for capital ($36.1 million funded from property tax), with a significant portion of those dollars going toward repair and replacement of existing city assets.

According to budget planners, the largest pressure facing the City of Brampton for 2016 is new and enhanced facilities and services.

Some of the projects the city is focusing money toward next year includes:

• Gore Meadows Community Centre Phase 2

• Sandalwood transit facility expansion

• Fire apparatus and maintenance building

• Springdale library

• Canada 55+ Games

Brampton will also be putting more money aside next year for transit.

The city has marked $3.4 million toward enhancing transit and extending services (conventional buses and Züm) into new neighbourhoods.