The Region of Waterloo provides 60 per cent of municipal services to a growing community with a population of nearly 600,000 people. We strive to create a community where people matter and ideas grow. We provide a range of services including: public health; community services; culture and heritage; public transit; and ambulance services to name a few. As always, our goal is to provide residents good value for their tax dollars.

The average cost per household in 2018 for all services provided by the Region, including Police Services, was $1,979. A one per cent increase in taxes will add $20 to the average residential property tax bill in 2019.

The preliminary 2019 budget proposes a number of service improvements and Regional Council wants to know if you think the suggested improvements provide good value for our community? Have your say by answering a short questionnaire below. The questionnaire should take about 15 minutes to complete and questions can be skipped if desired.

The proposed service improvements include:

• adding more personal support workers as Sunnyside Home at night and for high needs clients and more around the clock care
• adding more ambulances, paramedics, and support staff
• enhancing transit service by adding an iXpress route, realigning routes and improving service levels on routes connecting with ION LRT
• adding transit UPASS service to Conestoga College
• adding more buses to provide increased MobilityPLUS service for people with physical and cognitive disabilities
• providing increasing funding for homelessness
• adding resources to support the permit application process for timely road construction work and traffic signal technology
• provide funding for economic development initiatives
• provide funding for community energy investment strategy initiatives

Detailed information is provided in the full Budget Issue Paper proposal requests.

What Happens Next?

The feedback questionnaire will be live from January 9 to February 10. Staff will summarize the input received for Regional Council’s consideration. The input will help inform Council’s decision making regarding this year’s budget on February 19, 2019.

Councillors will be following the conversation on the Engage platform, and we encourage you to do the same!

Check back in February for the outcome of the 2019 budget process.