John Tory’s past and possibly future mayoral challenger Doug Ford is jumping into the 2017 budget debate with anti-Tory robocalls and an appearance at a Monday anti-tax meeting.

Ford urges Torontonians, in a call blast to homes including that of a Star reporter, to attend the evening meeting “hosted by my friend Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti regarding all the new taxes that Mayor John Tory and the city are looking to impose . . . ”

“When (late Toronto mayor) Rob (Ford) and myself were down at city hall, we voted ‘No’ to all these unwarranted taxes.”

For Tory, the ex-Ontario Progressive Conservative leader elected in 2014 by beating Doug Ford, who had replaced his ailing brother in the campaign’s final phase, it’s rare criticism from the political right.

City council will on Wednesday start final deliberations on the City of Toronto’s $12.3-billion operating budget and $39.7-billion, 10-year capital plan.

The mayor called the proposed budget passed by his executive committee “balanced” between investments in transit, social housing, anti-poverty initiatives and more, and his vow to limit property tax hikes to 2 per cent.

Most budget criticism has come from council’s left. “Too many Torontonians are being left behind by this budget,” declared Councillor Joe Cressy, urging Tory to abandon his pledge to keep tax hikes to the rate of inflation to reverse austerity measures including a cut to front-line shelter worker positions.

On the defensive about proposed cuts, and a prior demand that all city departments try to cut spending by 2.6 per cent, Tory reversed himself last week and said council should, for one more year, pay school boards occupancy grants for daycares located in schools. Parents of thousands of children had faced the spectre of big fee hikes.

Councillor Pam McConnell, Tory’s point person on poverty reduction efforts, told reporters Thursday she is working with the mayor’s office to try to find funding for the shelter positions and other threatened budget items.

Mammoliti, the often-outrageous Ward 7 York West representative, has become the kind of lone-wolf, penny-pinching critic of Tory that Rob Ford was to ex-mayor David Miller. He says it’s time for the mayor to hear from regular Torontonians.

Mammoliti is hosting a forum Monday at 7 p.m. at Julius Banquet Centre on Finch Ave. W. billed as a public consultation on the proposed budget for “people who actually work for a living,” and were unable to go to city hall to make a formal deputation to the budget committee.

“The campaign is driven by me to stop the ludicrous spending that has to be happening at city hall and the real cash grabs we are trying to stop,” Mammoliti said in an interview Friday, adding he expects 500 to 1,000 people to attend and give feedback after hearing a city staff presentation on the proposed spending plan.

Mammoliti cites Tory’s now-dead plan to toll the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway, annual hikes in garbage collection fees, and the “roof tax” which is actually a proposed stormwater charge based on property size.

The flat fee would replace and boost stormwater funding now collected through charges based on water usage.

Mammoliti invited Tory to the forum but was told the mayor has a prior engagement.

Don Peat, Tory’s communications director, said Mammoliti and Ford “can push all the ‘alternative facts’ that they want.

“Here's the truth: Mayor Tory has delivered two budgets with tax increases at or below inflation with a third on the way. He's getting the city moving again and getting on with building transit,” while making investments in child care and other services.

“Toronto has seen enough of the Mammoliti/Ford act. They turned city hall into a circus for four years and voters clearly said they didn't want to go back.”

Ford said in an interview, “Someone has to hold Tory accountable. The media along with council, with the exception of Giorgio, have let Tory get away with wasting hundreds of millions of dollars along with recklessly taxing everything he can get his hands on.”

The former Ward 2 councillor said he has not yet decided if he will run for mayor or PC MPP in 2018.

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