The Access Richmond Hill Contact Centre provides assistance for general inquiries, responds to questions or concerns regarding programs and services as well as accepts in person payments.
905-771-8800
Hours of Service:
Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Report a problem with a service, e.g. missed garbage collection, overnight parking, potholes, street lights, etc.
The City of Richmond Hill is committed to providing excellent service and we are proud to serve the people and businesses in our community.
"Each member of City staff work hard on the front lines and behind the scenes to provide the services, facilities and care that our citizens deserve. We are dedicated to serving the community while carefully managing our resources to ensure tax dollars are spent wisely." ~Mary-Anne Dempster, City Manager
Richmond Hill's Road Maintenance staff keep the City's roads and sidewalks safe and enjoyable for walking, driving, cycling and riding transit.
One of their many responsibilities is identifying and repairing potholes in Richmond Hill local roads. In 2019, the team repaired over 1000 of them.
In 2020, Road Maintenance staff piloted new artificial intelligence technology (called ROVER) to enhance the inspection of road infrastructure. The ROVER technology, housed in a windshield-mounted smartphone camera (pictured at left), uploads photos and details about potholes such as location and severity.
With this technology, staff can identify potholes more easily, which keeps Richmond Hill roads safer through faster repairs.
Richmond Hill received a Founding Member award from Visual Defence Inc., the the creator of ROVER technology, recognizing its leadership, innovation and collaboration in using artificial intelligence to help keep roads safer.
“Working in Roads Maintenance, we have pride in the work we do to keep the roads and sidewalks in great condition for the community." - Len Giacalone, Roads Operator III
We are honoured to learn we won an Ontario Good Roads Association (OGRA) 2020 John Niedra Better Practices Competition award for our innovative use of artificial intelligence to find and analyze potholes! The awards “showcase the ingenuity of municipal employees and recognize innovations and achievements that improve the efficiency of our municipal transportations through public works, services and operations.” Our joint submission with Visual Defence and the City of Markham highlights our success with automatic pothole detection.
In 2021, Richmond Hill will keep about $0.26 for every dollar of property taxes we collect from residents. We receive about $0.16 for every dollar of commercial/industrial taxes collected.
The rest of your taxes are sent to your school board and York Region to fund regional services such as public health, social services, children's services, policing, paramedical services and regional roads such as Bayview Avenue, Major Mackenzie Drive and Leslie Street.
This graphic shows how each dollar of property tax that stays in Richmond Hill is broken down.
Property taxes pay for a variety of Richmond Hill services residents rely on – fire protection, public libraries, parks and playgrounds, recycling, organics and waste pick-up, snow and windrow removal, local roads, land planning and so much more.
Did you know? Clean drinking water, sewers and stormwater ponds are funded through your water bill.
Here’s how each dollar the City receives from your property taxes is allocated.
Fire and Emergency Services - 15 cents | ||
Provides fire suppression and medical response, fire prevention and public education, specialty rescue response, training and dispatch services to keep the community safe. In 2020:
Did you know? The City’s Fire and Emergency Services Communications Centre dispatches calls for Aurora, Newmarket, East Gwillimbury, Stouffville and Georgina in addition to Richmond Hill. They dispatch to approximately 15,000 incidents each year. |
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Road Maintenance - 6 cents | ||
Maintains roads and sidewalks as well as stormwater ponds to ensure they are in good condition and safe.
Did you know? Richmond Hill maintains all sidewalks in the City, but York Region maintains regional roads like Major Mackenzie Drive, Leslie Street, Bathurst Street, Elgin Mills Road, 16th Avenue and portions of Yonge Street.
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Winter Maintenance - 5 cents | ||
Provide winter maintenance, including plowing, salting and anti-icing for roads (excluding Regional roads), sidewalks, City facilities and select trails.
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Waste Collection - 3 cents | ||
Administer garbage, recycling, organics, yard waste and large appliance collection to over 54,000 households and 14,000 apartments. The City strives to work with the community to reduce the generation of solid waste and create a more sustainable environment. In 2020:
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Access Richmond Hill - 1 cent | ||
Provide assistance for general inquiries, responds to questions or concerns regarding City programs and services, including an online portal to report a problem with a service and translation services. In 2020:
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Recreation and Events - 12 cents | ||
Help to bring the community together through local and citywide events, plus recreation programming across the city. In 2020:
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Buildings (Arenas, Pools, etc.) - 6 cents | ||
Provide a wide variety of facilities for community use including unique options such as The Wave Pool, Eyer Homestead Ropes Challenge and the Richmond Green Sports Dome.
*facilities were closed or operating at limited capacity for portions of 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions |
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Public Library - 5 cents | ||
Richmond Hill Public Library provides in-person and digital services for the entire community through four locations, as well as access to learning apps, eBooks and more through our catalogue and website.
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Parks and Trails - 4 cents | ||
Provide parks, trails and open spaces for Richmond Hill residents to get outside for fresh air and fun.
Did you know? Richmond Hill parks and trails are beautiful places to see the fall colours? Visit 6 Instagram-worthy Places to See Fall Colours in Richmond Hill to learn more. |
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Environment Services - 2 cents | ||
Our environmental programming provides residents opportunities to learn about the environment and participate in initiatives to make Richmond Hill stronger and healthier. In 2020:
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Administration and Other Services - 18 cents | ||
Key services like human resources, communicating City business to residents, Mayor and Council Office expenses, procurement, accounting and property tax administration all fall within Administration and Other Services. In 2020:
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Planning and Development - 7 cents | ||
Richmond Hill is in a unique position, poised for considerable residential and commercial growth now and well into the future. Planning and development ensure new buildings and land use are safe and appropriate to our growing City. In 2020:
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Asset Renewal and Capital Programs - 7 cents | ||
This small portion of your property tax bill goes toward capital projects including the repair or replacement of existing infrastructure, such as roof replacements and other repairs at various City facilities, parks revitalization (playgrounds, artificial turf replacement, etc.) and repairs and reconstruction of local roads (not including regional roads such as Bayview Avenue and Major Mackenzie Drive). In 2020:
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Information Technology - 6 cents | ||
In the modern world, it’s crucial for the City to stay up-to-date on information technology, including cyber security to protect City assets and the private information of residents.
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By-law Enforcement - 3 cents | ||
The Community Standards division upholds Richmond Hill’s by-laws to ensure the whole community can enjoy our City. In 2020:
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