2020 Budget
Consultation has concluded
This project supports the Region of Waterloo's strategic focus area(s): 
The Region of Waterloo provides 60 per cent of municipal services to a growing community with a population of approximately 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; waste; water; 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 2019 for all services provided by the Region, including Police Services, was $2,023. A one per cent increase in taxes would add $20 to the average residential property tax bill in 2020.
Regional Council wants to know if you think current service levels and the suggested improvements (from the preliminary 2020 budget) provide good value for our community? Have your say by answering a short questionnaire below. The questionnaire should take about 15-20 minutes to complete and questions can be skipped if desired.
Proposed 2020 service improvements include:
adding more personal support workers at Sunnyside Home for high needs clients and more around the clock care
adding more ambulances and paramedics
enhancing transit service including improvements to service levels on local routes in Cambridge and on routes in Kitchener-Waterloo to accommodate increased ridership and changing travel patterns resulting from ION LRT
adding more buses to provide increased MobilityPLUS service for people with physical and cognitive disabilities
enhancing transit services in Wilmot Township
adding resources to support the Waterloo Region Housing Master Plan to increase affordable housing
Public Health program funding for substance use, harm reduction and needle disposal
Detailed information is provided in the full Budget Issue Paper proposal requests.
There are opportunities to provide in-person feedback at Regional Council meetings on November 26 and December 11, 2019.
What happens next?
The feedback questionnaire will be live from November 20 to December 20. 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 January 22, 2020.
Councillors will be following the conversation on the Engage platform, and we encourage you to do the same! Check back in January for the outcome of the 2020 budget process.
Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts on the 2020 Budget, which was available for public input between November 20 and December 20, 2019. We reviewed your feedback and prepared a report to Council, summarizing all the feedback collected.
On January 22, 2020 Regional Council approved the 2020 operating budget and 2020-2029 capital program for property tax supported Direct Regional Services and the Waterloo Regional Police Service. The final total property tax levy of $570,471,502 represents an average tax rate increase of 3.84%: 2.46% for Direct Regional Services (including Library) and 1.38% for Police Services. This increase will impact the average household by $78.
In addition, on December 11, 2019 Regional Council approved user rates as follows:
| | Rate increase (%) in 2020 |
| Water Supply | 1.9% |
| Wastewater Treatment | 3.9% |
| Water Distribution 1 | 4.9% |
| Wastewater Collection 1,2 | 3.9% |
1 retail customers in North Dumfries and Wellesley only
2 retail customers in North Dumfries and Wellesley connected to wastewater collection system only are billed on a flat fee basis which remains unchanged at $10/month.
To learn more:
Read our media release
Read the summary of community input (pg. 33 of January 14, 2020 agenda package)
