Residents in Windsor could be paying an average of $100 more on their property taxes next year.
The City of Windsor is proposing a 3.56 per cent budget increase in 2020 to collect $420.3 million to run the city.
The increase can be broken down into three main areas. There's a 1.2 per cent increase to the city's departmental budget, a 1.16 per cent increase to fund the city's asset management plan, and a 1.2 per cent increase from agencies, boards, and commissions like the Windsor Police Service.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said he'd like to bring the increase down closer to the rate of inflation.
"That is the goal. The asset management plan this year, when we start at 1.16, certainly makes that a challenge but we know we have to because of Ontario regulation, we have to move forward with this asset management plan," said Dilkens.
The asset management plan has been approved in principle by city council. This is a provincially mandated plan to ensure the municipality has the funds to maintain all of its assets like roads, sewers, buildings, and vehicles. The 1.16 per cent is needed over the next six years to fully fund the plan.
There's $1.2 billion dedicated to the capital budget plan over the next eight years. Projects in this budget include improvements on the E.C. Row Expressway, improvements to Lauzon Parkway and the redesign and construction of the Howard and South Cameron intersection. The funds collected for the asset management plan help to fund many of these projects.
Windsor City Council will deliberate on the 2020 budget on January 27, 2020, starting at 10 a.m. A full copy of the 2020 proposed budget will be available through the City of Windsor website on Friday.
