Markham citizens hit with 1.97% increase on property tax bill

When combined with 3.96% York Region increase, 7.80% water increase, average homeowner to pay $194 more per year

Yorkregion.com
March 25, 2019
Tim Kelly

After several months of extensive meetings, Markham council delivered its lowest property tax increase in years, boosting the local rate by 1.97 per cent for 2019.

The actual day-to-day cost for operating the municipality will go up by only 1.47 per cent but council is adding .5 per cent for an infrastructure reserve account to bolster repairs and replacement to things like roads and buildings.

The increase compares favourably to 2018 when the increase locally was 2.9 per cent and 2017 when it jumped by 3.46 per cent.

What it means for the average priced property in Markham of $770,000 is that taxes will increase on the City of Markham portion by $24 in 2019. Combine that with the Region of York tax increase of 3.96 per cent, which equals $99, and the water and wastewater increase of 7.8 per cent for 2019 that amounts to $71 for that homeowner and the combined total cost amounts to $194 more for 2019 on the tax bill.

“We are keeping tax rates low, delivering exceptional services to our residents and we’re also doing something else other municipalities aren’t as aggressive on: we’re putting money away for a running day,” Mayor Frank Scarpitti said in a news conference March 21 in the Canada Room at the Markham Civic Centre, the day after council unanimously approved the budget.

Scarpitti noted that Markham has kept the “lowest average tax increase of the last 13 years,” among other GTA municipalities, but also indicated, “we put money aside every year 5 per cent of the tax increase is going toward replacement and repair of infrastructure, so we can replace and repair that infrastructure for the next 25 years.”

Ward 6 Counc. Amanda Collucci, who served as the first-time budget chair this year along with rookie Ward 5 Counc. Ward 5 Andrew Keyes in the vice-chair role, went through the budget highlights in a Powerpoint presentation.

“The city is very proud of delivering exceptional fiscal service to Markham residents while providing revenue for municipal tax dollars with continuous improvement,” Collucci said.

She noted that total spending for the entire year was nearly $520 million, funded through taxes, water bills, development charges, grants and other fees.

The $520 million includes the city’s operating expenses of $218.26 million for day-to-day operating costs, $14.79 million to cover library costs, $124.69 million for new capital projects, $131.92 in waterworks expenses, $11.86 million in planning and design costs, $9.33 million dedicated to building services and $8.93 million for engineering. The complete budget totals $519.78 million for 2019.

Collucci noted that the city began an E3 program which stands for excellence through efficiency and effectiveness back in 2009.

She said it has resulted “in close to $28 million in operational savings” for taxpayers during the past decade.

The budget chair said the E3 program was able to identify $2 million in savings last year and the E3 program's cumulative tax-avoidance rate for taxpayers was 23.2 per cent.