York Region proposes 2.85% tax hike in 2016 budget
That would work out to $63 for average household assessed at $547,000.

yorkregion.com
Nov. 26, 2015
By Lisa Queen

As predicted last year when York Region adopted a four-year budget forecast, it looks like the regional portion of your property taxes is going up 2.85 per cent next year.

That would work out to $63 for the average household, which has an assessed value of $547,000.

The average household now pays $2,223.19 in regional taxes.

Regional council started its budget discussions last Thursday and could adopt the fiscal document as early as Dec. 17.

If the budget is approved as now proposed, the regional portion of the property tax bill would go up by $34 on the average house in Georgina.

In East Gwillmbury, it would increase by $54.

The average Newmarket household would see its regional taxes climb by $50.

Aurora’s average increase would be $62, just slightly above the average $61 in Whitchurch-Stouffville.

In Markham, the average increase would be $64.

The average households in Richmond Hill and Vaughan would see their regional taxes boosted by $69.

King Township would have the highest increase, with the average household paying an additional $76.

Last year, regional council adopted a four-year budget plan, which saw regional taxes increase by 2.97 per cent in 2015 with projections of 2.85 per cent in 2016, 2.69 per cent in 2017 and 2.35 per cent in 2018.

If approved, the 2016 budget would include $2 billion in operating expenses, up from $1.9 billion this year. The capital budget would drop to $783 million in 2016, down from $826 million in 2015.

The region plans to spend $6.1 billion on capital projects over the next 10 years, the largest amount among surrounding 905 regions.

Halton Region’s 10-year capital plan calls for spending $3.2 billion, while Peel Region will invest $5.8 billion and Durham Region will spend $3.8 billion.

The single largest investment in York would be on transportation projects, which would get 44 per cent of the funding, while 37 per cent would go toward water and wastewater projects and 19 per cent would be spent on other initiatives.

Over the next three years, the region plans to hire 49 new police officers and 17 civilians, hire 52 paramedics and build or rehabilitate paramedic response stations, add 52 new lane kilometres of roads, open two transitional/emergency housing facilities and invest more in water and wastewater infrastructure and vivaNext bus rapid transit services on new rapidways.