Average homeowner in Waterloo region to see regional taxes go up by $165 next year
CBC
The average homeowner in Waterloo region will see their regional tax bill rise by $165 in 2024.
That comes after regional councillors passed the 2024 operating and capital budget. Including police services, the budget is $2.1 billion. It is a 6.9 per cent increase over 2023.
The average home value is based on assessments done in 2016 by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), which reported the typical residential property in the region was assessed at approximately $407,000.
The final budget report from regional staff noted a one per cent tax rate increase generates $7 million.
Councillors started Wednesday in committee considering a 7.95 per cent increase to property taxes, which would have translated to approximately $189 for the average household for the year.
Councillors trimmed one per cent from the final budget number. The motion to pass the budget was carried unanimously.
The regional budget covers all aspects of the region including staffing, transit, police, paramedics, housing, roads and infrastructure and the various services offered.
The budget for the Waterloo Regional Police Service requested more than $228 million this year. That request represented a 6.71 per cent levy increase over 2023.
Coun. Rob Deutschmann said Wednesday he didn't feel like the police service was being transparent with regional council in this budget numbers.
He said the police service wants to hire more officers, but the service hasn't kept up with the hiring targets it's already set. He said that meant the police service was able to put money not spent on new officers into reserve funds.
"This budget should be rejected and sent back to police services board. It is not doing a service to the taxpayers of the Region of Waterloo. It is not transparent and it is taking far more than they should be taking from the tax base," he said.
"We should be asking them to do better. They're not listening to us, they're not hearing us and they can do better."
Chair Karen Redman, who also chairs the police board, said the police board members take their roles "very seriously."
"We ask the hard questions and we are accountable so I think the budget before us is one worth passing," Redman said.
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WARNING: This story contains profanity and details of racist language.