Next year’s property tax increase is looking to be more than five per cent, but it will be higher if councillors get their way.
During Tuesday’s special council meeting regarding the mayor’s 2025 budget update councillors announced their intention to propose a series of changes – almost all of which would see spending increase.
At the moment, the budget update includes a 3.12 per cent increase from the city-controlled portion of the budget, with Mayor Cam Guthrie estimating it could land at 5.5 per cent or more once local committees and boards, such as police, have introduced their budgets.
Boards and committees are set to deliver their budgets to council in January. Though council determines the overall budget for each, it can’t control individual line items.
Below are the councillor budget change intentions.
- Coun. Rodrigo Goller wants to see more money put into the affordable housing reserve, to be given out in support of affordable housing projects in the city. Currently, the budget would see $500,000 in that reserve by the end of next year. No specific amount was mentioned.
- Goller further plans to call for funding to be restored for climate change initiatives, including reaching council’s stated goal of using 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050. Currently, they face a $153,867 drop in funding compared to what was approved last year.
Along with that could come increased funding for the city’s plan to increase the tree canopy. As it stands, $111,810 in funding has been removed from the goal of achieving 40 per cent canopy coverage by 2070.
- More money for active transportation, including trails, is also needed, Goller said.
- Coun. Leanne Caron expressed support for increased climate change funding as well as the tree canopy.
- Caron would also like to see funding for the city’s 200th anniversary of settlement restored to $905,000 in funding over three years. In the current draft, it’s set at $103,000 total.
- Coun. Dan Gibson wants to see funding included for design work and public consultation regarding the creation of a new park, which Coun. Erin Caton also called for, with a focus on accessibility.
- Caton is also backing calls for increased arts spending – specifically calls for a CBA with Art Not Shame, which seeks to provide barrier-free, creative spaces for people to use – as well as a review of the city’s ownership stake in utility company Alectra.
- Coun. Carly Klassen wants to see trails and public art funding restored, as well as the potential separation of arts and social service programs within the CBA structure so they aren’t left competing for the same dollars.
- Coun. Dominique O’Rourke is interested in seeing a five per cent increase in downtown parking rates phased in over time and expressed concern that delaying implementation of the city’s culture plan will decrease the value of existing public input.
- Coun. Christine Billings was the only councillor to propose a potential decrease to the budget. She wants a discussion about alternative ways to pay for a $750,000 contribution to Guelph General Hospital.
Councillors have an opportunity to propose and consider amendments to the mayor’s budget update during another special meeting, set for Nov. 27 beginning at 9 a.m.
