The City of Waterloo staff published a press release last month announcing the confirmation of the 2025 budget and a 6.34 percent property tax increase.
Waterloo staff and council determine the budget in three year increments, so this was a confirmation of a budget and tax increase that had been predetermined last year, says councillor and finance liaison Diane Freeman.
Major line items this year include implementing the fire master plan; increasing the city’s winter sidewalk maintenance; hiring more planners to handle planning duties passed from the province to municipalities; increasing preventative maintenance on some buildings; and managing the city’s infrastructure gap.
Some major challenges to this year’s budget included labour negotiations and an increased cost of construction materials like asphalt or concrete.
