Region of Waterloo's preliminary budget includes 8.6 per cent property tax increase

The Region of Waterloo’s budget discussions began in earnest Wednesday as regional staff tabled the preliminary 2023 budget.

The draft budget includes an 8.6 per cent property tax increase, which would see the average home with an assessed value of $354,500 paying an additional $188 on the regional portion of their annual property tax bill. Of that, around $50 would go toward policing.

The region’s chief financial officer says inflation is the main driver behind the tax hike proposed in the preliminary budget.

“We’ve experienced significant levels of inflation across all areas both from an operating and a capital perspective,” Craig Dyer told councillors Wednesday afternoon.

A report from staff says the preliminary budget "focuses on maintaining critical services during a period of unprecedented fiscal challenge and proposes investments focused on areas of top community need."

Those priorities include affordable housing, initiatives to address the homelessness crisis, transit service recovery and increased paramedic services.

Final approval of the budget is set for the end of February.

“Over the new few weeks I know we’ll have our sleeves rolled up,” Coun. Michael Harris told CTV News, noting councillors must balance people's ability to pay, given the rising costs of groceries and household items, with maintaining frontline services.

RESIDENTS SHARE BUDGET SUGGESTIONS

Members of the public had the chance to weigh in on council’s plans for the tax dollars at one of two budget public input sessions Wednesday night.

From a spike in inflation to the police budget – residents were open with councilors about where they wanted their tax money to go.

“It’s not cheap to hire police officers,” said delegate Eden Philip Kubassek. “A lot of police officers make $100,000 per year at the taxpayers' expense, plus healthcare, benefits and pension for life.”

Some wanted more support for emergency shelters.

“When you take a population of people with unsupported mental health and disabilities, remove all of the programmings and let them remain on waiting lists for years, you are creating shelter dependence through your system,” said delegate Lynn Charlton.

Others called for initiatives to help the homeless.

“This is maybe being quite optimistic, but I would like to see everybody in supportive housing. I don’t think we should need a support like tent city in the long-term,” said Jeff Willmer, board chair of A Better Tent City.

Others were looking for the region to invest in both sustainable and public transportation.

“Busy roads filled with people that could be taking public transit, or maybe even would be, if it weren’t so slow and consistently late,” delegate Brooklin Wallis said.