Cambridge city council approves 4.75 per cent tax increase

Cambridge City council has approved a 4.74 per cent tax levy increase for the 2023 budget which will see the average Cambridge household paying an additional $5.89 per month on the city portion of their property tax bill.

“I think we landed on a budget that shows fiscal responsibility while meeting the needs of the community and providing opportunities for growth in the future. I am pleased to see that the tax levy increase is under the inflation rate,” said city councillor and budget and audit committee chair Nicholas Ermeta in a news release from the city.

“We heard loud and clear that some residents wanted improvements to the service levels. Bylaw was one of them. So we invested some resources there. Another department where they wanted improvements was tree cutting in terms of having the city respond to resident requests fairly quickly in terms of trimming people’s trees,” said Ermeta.

The city said the 2023 budget maintains all existing service levels during the current “high inflation environment.”

The city says the budget includes spending on key projects including:

• The opening of the Fountain Street Soccer Complex and expansion of the Cambridge Sports Park arena complex.
• Investing in the growth and development of the city’s core areas through financing of waived development charges.
• Providing the staffing resources to help expedite housing.
• Investing in placemaking and establishing the core areas as attractive destinations.
• Cambridge’s budget puts $75 million towards the rehabilitation and renewal of existing infrastructure said to “support the future growth of the city.”

It also includes re-opening the design project for the Riverside Dam with construction planned for 2025.

The 2023 budget dedicates $150 million toward the cost of delivering city services, excluding water and sewer services.

“Staff and council are also cognitive of any provincial impacts. By passing these capital and operating budgets we are moving forward on important projects like the Preston Auditorium expansion, funding for our downtown patio projects, and enhanced snow clearing programs,” said Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett in the news release.

Of every dollar Cambridge residents pay in property tax, 36 cents goes to the city. The Region of Waterloo, that collects the heftiest portion of the property tax bill, is set to finalize its tax increase Wednesday.