Waterloo city council looking for input on proposed 2024-2026 budget

The City of Waterloo is hosting a public input session to hear from residents about a proposed tax increase of 21.2 per cent for the 2024-2026 budget.

The meeting will be held on Jan. 9 at the Waterloo Recreation Complex in the Community Pavilion at 101 Father David Bauer Drive. It will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m and will be held in-person and virtually.

Ward 4 Councillor and budget spokesperson Diane Freeman said the purpose of the meeting is to get citizen input on the budget before voting on it on February 12.

“We value hearing advise on services that people would like to see cut,” said Freeman. “We also value information from others on services that they think we have to retain.”

Some of the improvements being proposed in the budget include hiring more firefights, upgrading winter sidewalk maintenance and addressing accessibility.

Attendees were asked to register for the meeting before Jan. 4, but can still register by emailing budget@waterloo.ca.