Residents of Woolwich face potential 11 per cent tax increase in 2025

Budgeting season is underway around the region, including in Woolwich Township where residents face a potential double-digit tax hike.

In 2024, residents of Woolwich Township experienced a tax increase of 8.5 per cent, but due to a number of pressures, including inflation and staffing issues, that increase is set to go up for 2025.

The increase on the table in these early days of budgeting is 11 per cent, as presented by city staff at a Committee of the Whole meeting on Sept. 10.

That includes a 7.5 per cent base change to the Annual Operating Budget, a 2.5 per cent Infrastructure Levee and a 1 per cent Climate Action Levee.

Councillors were not pleased with those numbers and noted they would feel more comfortable with an increase as low as 5 per cent, or in the range of 7 per cent.

Councillor Eric Schwindt is concerned about this increase, especially during a year which he calls “status quo,” citing the fact that there are no significant infrastructure projects on the horizon.

“We’re not adding services, we’re not building new rinks, we’re not doing anything, we’re just carrying on,” he said. “I don’t think our residents are on board with that.”

Councillor Bonnie Bryant posted the report on social media before attending the Sept. 10 meeting and said the people she heard from are uncomfortable with the increase given the state of the Canadian economy.

“It’s not sustainable, and it’s just out of touch with todays financial reality,” explained Bryant after hearing from residents.

Chief Administrative Officer David Brenneman noted that the price of everything is going up, and a number closer to the rate of inflation would cause a number of programs to be cut completely.

“I think I would need to go around the room and say to each department head ‘What service are we going to cut?’,” he said. “We made changes like that in a tough budget year a few years ago. We cut the swimming hours. In two weeks council approved the reinstitution of those hours because of the public outcry.”

Council has not yet made any decisions on the budget and deferred their discussion on any potential tax increases to the Sept. 24 meeting while waiting for some clarifications from staff.