Property Tax Increase possible for Windsor

If the proposed 2016 budget is approved with no changes, taxpayers will be faced with a 1.75 per cent property tax hike in the City of Windsor.

This increase would be the first in seven years. It would include the 0.5 per cent road tax levy.

It would equate to being $48 for a house valued at $150,000 according to Onorio Colucci, the city’s chief financial officer.

Mayor Drew Dilkens said the original budget contained no increase because administration found more than $13 million in internal cuts to balance the books. Since then other factors have added pressures forcing the projected increase.

”The recent decision by council with respect to outsourcing caretakers has put about a half of one percent pressure back on the budget,” said Dilkens.

Although happy with the budget overall, Ward 3 Councillor Rino Bortolin said there are places where the budget can be looked at. He points towards the cost overruns at Adventure Bay as just one example. He wonders if spending over $3 million on one facility should take priority over potential job growth.

“It’s not necessarily always just an equal cut or an increase somewhere else, It’s just the matter of what the priority is,” said Bortolin. “To say OK we are spending money here or do we want to take money from there and actually put it towards small business support.”

Although currently undecided, Hilary Payne, council representative for Ward 9 is leaning towards the tax increase. He would prefer not to have it, but said there is a case to be made for raising the taxes.

Payne said finding places to trim may be difficult because of where they would have to look. In his opinion any trimming would have to come from the city departments who already have come in with a zero per cent increase in their budget.

“The only way to get to a zero per cent tax increase would be to take the $3 million out of the city department budgets. As far as I’m concerned that’s just not feasible,” said Payne. “After seven years of zero tax increases, they are right down to the bone, so I don’t think that’s feasible.”

Most of the major pressures come from the agencies, boards and commissions which are paid for by the city. In most cases Windsor has no control over their spending.

For example, the Windsor Police are requesting approximately $1.9 million more to operate this year and the city is unable to say no to the request.

Other agencies like the health unit and Essex Windsor Solid Waste authority also add pressure by not adhering to or being unable to meet the city’s request to come back with no increases. Those increases are not negotiable and added over $350,000.

The budget deliberations will start Dec. 21 in council chambers at 6 p.m.