Saskatoon homeowners looking at 3.86% property tax increase in 2022
CBC
After three days of budget deliberations, Saskatoon city council approved its finances for 2022 and 2023 on Wednesday evening.
The new budget includes a property tax hike of more than 3.8 per cent for 2022 and 3.5 per cent for 2023.
The 3.86 per cent increase next year means an average homeowner with a house worth $344,000 will pay an extra $74.04, or an additional $6.17 per month.
For 2023, the tax increase translates to an extra $70.43 per year or $5.87 per month.
The approved rise in property taxes is higher than the initially recommended 3.51 per cent increase for 2022 in the preliminary budget.
A majority of councillors voted in favour of the new budget, with the exceptions of Darren Hill, Randy Donauer and Bev Dubois
"I look forward to implementing this budget with our staff and with our council … and hopefully get into a time where we're going to see the city light up again in terms of economic recovery and activity in the community," said Mayor Charlie Clark on Wednesday.
"I absolutely understand that our citizens want to know that we're getting the maximum value out of the dollars spent."
Clark said the budgeting process needs to be a balance between finding ways to save money while also providing services that address some of the key issues Saskatoon faces.
City councillors were poring over financial documents Monday through Wednesday to decide where the city's money should be spent in 2022 and 2023.
On the third day of budget deliberations, Saskatoon city council was looking through a list of optional initiatives.
The optional projects fall under various categories and departments, including Transportation, the fire department, and Environmental Health.
The associated costs were not included as expenditures in the administration's proposed budget.
"City council can choose to include or phase-in any of the identified initiatives which would have an impact to the property tax rate," a document outlining operating and capital options said.
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