Property taxes going up 4.8 per cent in Kitchener
Posted Feb 3, 2023 11:05:30 AM.
Kitchener city council has approved the 2023 budget.
Property taxes are going up 4.8 per cent. It works out to an additional $56 a year for the average homeowner. The city also points the tax hike is below-inflation.
The budget is focused on prioritizing affordability, supporting core services, responding to growth and investing in the city.
“Council worked hard to balance various community priorities while completing their first budget of the 2023-2026 term,” Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said in a news release. “It reflects the community priorities identified through staff’s extensive consultation with residents and councillors’ conversations with their constituents.”
Council has set aside $1.5 million for traffic calming, parks and playgrounds, free recreational programming, paving of trails and arts and culture. All were identified as key areas in response to feedback from residents during the budget input process and last fall's election.
Additional capital funding has also been allocated for Love My Hood and RISE (Racialized and Indigenous Supports for Equity) community grants, as well as funding to advance the review of the city’s lodging house by-law.
In addition to the tax increase, the water utility rate is going up by 4.5 per cent, which works out to an extra $42 a year for the average homeowner.
More information about the 2023 budget can be found on the city's website.
