The City of Regina is preparing to pass the 2017 budget for the second time. The city says they were forced to re-evaluate the budget after the province tightened its purse strings in their 2017 budget.
The city had already approved a 3.99 per cent increase in the mill rate. Now the city is proposing to tack on an extra 2.5 per cent, for a total of 6.49 per cent to make up for a 10.3 million dollar shortfall created by the provincial budget.
The city will be debating the proposal at their meeting on Monday night. CTV's Dale Hunter has live updates from the meeting.
But how will it affect your wallet? While two tax increases in one year is unusual, Regina is used to consistently paying more.
City council has increased property taxes nine out of the last 10 years, with increases ranging between about 3 and just about 5 per cent.
Tax rates aren't the only factor that affects how much a home owner pays. Tax rates are applied to your taxable assessment. The city assesses the value of your property, and the province dictates what percentage of that value the city applies taxes to. That is your taxable assessment or the number that tax rates are applied to.
It's important to the note that the provincial percentage is also going up in 2017, from 70 per cent of your assessed value, to 80 per cent, so home owners will pay a higher tax rate on a higher per cent of the value of their property.
In 2016, the average assessment was $280,638. According to the city’s website, in 2017, the average assessment is going up more than $40,000 to $321,093.
You can find all of this information on the city’s website and entering your address to find your assessment, and see how all of these numbers break down specifically for your own property.
Other potential cuts include more than half a million dollars to the Regina Police Service. The city says this would not affect response times or front line service.
Another big increase, the price of street use permits and traffic bylaw fees could go up 20 per cent.
Other places residents could see changes are at the landfill. If the revamped budget goes through, it would be closed on stat holidays and see shortened hours on other operating days.
Garbage collection will be moved to every second week in the winter.
The city also plans to do away with programs like tree recycling, leaf and yard waste, and hazardous waste depots.
City transit services will be cut on stat holidays.
And the city also plans to close the Leslie lawn bowling greens and the regent park golf course.
With files from CTV's Dale Hunter
