City Council approves 2017 operating budget representing an increase of 3.61 per cent

Cambridge, Ontario. Jan. 6, 2017… On Wednesday night, Cambridge City Council approved both the 2017-2026 Capital budget and forecasts, and the 2017 Operating budget with a 3.61 per cent tax rate increase, representing an average household impact of $48.34.

A great deal of effort went into the 2017 budget to ensure the least impact on service delivery and the community as a whole. Throughout the process, which started in September and included strong community engagement and consultation with the Budget and Audit Committee, staff continued to work to lower the tax rate as much as possible. They found sustainable savings across every department. Of note in the final budget, two items remain that received the greatest amount of public feedback: the retention of the City’s loose leaf collection program for 2017 and Soper Pool.

In addition, City Council has also received the preliminary operating budget forecasts for the next two years representing a projected tax rate increase of 5 per cent in 2018 and 4.83 per cent in 2019 to be reassessed annually. 

“We strive every year to bring as much value as possible to the taxpayer through the budget,” said Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig. “Staff worked extremely hard to find savings and keep our tax rate increase as low as possible. It’s a challenge every year to balance the costs of new service needs that will benefit our City in the long run, with maintaining existing program levels that our residents rely on every day. In the end, I think we landed on a budget that shows fiscal responsibility while meeting the needs of the community and providing opportunities for growth in the future.”

Of every tax dollar collected, approximately 49 cents goes to the Region of Waterloo, 16 cents to local school boards and 35 cents remains for municipal City services. The approved 2017 budget and forecasts for 2018 and 2019 can be found on the City’s website at www.cambridge.ca/budget.

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Primary Media Contacts:

Andrea Montgomery
Interim Director of Communications
Office of the City Manager
City of Cambridge
montgomerya@cambridge.ca
(519) 740-4680 ext. 4606 / cell: (289) 983-1781

Project Contact:

Steven Fairweather
Chief Financial Officer
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
City of Cambridge
(519) 740-4680 ext.4500 / cell: (519) 212-2381
fairweathers@cambridge.ca