Traffic calming, trail paving among options for extra $1.5M in Kitchener budget
Councillors reviewed operating budget Monday ahead of final decision Feb. 2
Thestar.com
Jan. 17, 2023
Brent Davis
Councillors will consider adding money to priority areas ranging from traffic calming measures to trail paving as work on Kitchener’s 2023 budget continues.

The city’s $231-million tax-supported operating budget was reviewed in a daylong meeting Monday; the capital budget is expected to be discussed in detail on Jan. 23, and council votes to approve the final budget on Feb. 2.

The operating budget is “really the basis of everything we do,” said the city’s chief financial officer, Jonathan Lautenbach. About 59 per cent of the operating budget pays for salaries and wages.

The city has proposed increasing property taxes by 4.8 per cent, representing an extra $56 on the tax bill for the average household.

A previously-approved increase to water rates will mean an additional $42 a year for an average home, for a total increase of $98 for the average household.

A 4.8 per cent increase is higher than in recent years, Lautenbach said: for the past five years, Kitchener’s average increase was 2.41 per cent, including the proposed 2023 rate.

But inflation -- now at about 6.8 per cent -- is having an impact on overall operating costs, he said.

The budget proposal also includes $1.5 million in unallocated operating funding, courtesy of electricity savings realized by converting street lights to LEDs.

Staff have presented several options that could provide additional funds for priority projects, and decisions will be made as the budget is finalized.

Extra funds are proposed for the Housing for All strategy, greening of the city’s vehicle fleet, trail paving, reducing fees and increasing access to recreational programs, improving equitable access to arts resources, traffic calming, and neighbourhood park improvements.

Several councillors noted that neighbourhood traffic issues are among the concerns raised most often by residents.

“I do think this needs to be a priority on final budget day,” Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said.

Representatives from Kitchener Public Library and Centre in the Square also addressed councillors about increases to their operating grants.

The library’s operating grant would increase from about $11.6 million in 2022 to $12.1 million in 2023, including an additional $100,000 to offset revenue loss after the library did away with late fines.

Centre in the Square’s operating grant would rise from $1.9 to $2 million.

Kitchener’s portion of the overall property tax bill is 31 per cent, with the Region of Waterloo accounting for 55 per cent of the bill, and local school boards accounting for 14 per cent.

More information on the proposed budget is available on the city’s website.