Draft 2024 budget continues trend of delivering value for Kitchener residents

The City of Kitchener has released its draft 2024 budget, outlining a plan that includes three key priority areas: supporting city services, focusing on infrastructure, and advancing strategic priorities. In developing the proposed 2024 budget, staff strongly considered affordability impacts on Kitchener residents by continuing the trend of delivering value for Kitchener residents, proposing a property tax rate increase of 3.9 per cent, well below the two-year average rate of inflation of 5.3 per cent.

The draft budget maintains existing services that residents rely on every day, includes key investments for maintaining the city’s infrastructure, and advances priorities included in the City’s recently launched 2023-2026 Strategic Plan.

The 2023-2026 Strategic Plan was developed after extensive consultation with the community and includes a new 20-year vision for Kitchener. The plan has five goal areas to focus on over the next few years:

• Building a Connected City Together
• Cultivating a Green City Together
• Creating an Economically-Thriving City Together
• Fostering a Caring City Together
• Stewarding a Better City Together

The draft 2024 budget puts the strategic plan into action and includes $5.5M in investments under these specific goal areas.

In addition to strategic investments built into the draft budget, $1 million in one-time funding is still available to allocate towards additional strategic priorities. The public can provide feedback on Engage Kitchener regarding which investment they think Kitchener should move forward within 2024. This feedback will help inform the final budget that will be proposed by the mayor on Monday, Dec. 4, after considering council and the public’s feedback.

For the average home in Kitchener, the proposed rate increases for the 2024 budget are:

• Property taxes - 3.9 per cent, or $47 annually
• Water utility - 4.9 per cent, or $21 annually
• Sanitary sewer utility - 7.1 per cent, or $39 annually
• Stormwater utility - 7.4 per cent, or $17 annually

As the result of new provincial legislation related to municipal budgets, the 2024 budget process has been adjusted from previous years. This year’s budget process involves:

• Operating budget day: Monday, Nov. 20, 2023
• Capital budget and public input night: Monday, Nov. 27, 2023
• Mayor’s budget proposal: Monday, Dec. 4, 2023
• Council votes on amendments: Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023
• Budget adopted: Friday, Dec. 29, 2023

Visit the City of Kitchener’s council and committee calendar to find the agendas when they’re available. People interested in watching the budget meetings can do so live or on-demand. 

To read the full proposed 2024 budget and take the survey, visit kitchener.ca/budget.