Lowest Tax Increase in 3 Years
Guelph City council passed the city’s 2007 operating and capital budget on Tuesday evening and approved a 4.3% increase over last year’s budget. The increase is equivalent to an $88 increase on property tax bills for households with a $200,000 assessment.
This was the smallest tax increase in 3 years.
- 6.9% in 2004
- 5.1% in 2005
- 4.7% in 2006.
After some intense debate the cost of riding a city bus was frozen at $2. (Guelph Transit had proposed an increase in cash fare to $2.25) The $300,000 this would add back into the budget amounts to only $5 on the average tax bill, the equivalent of just over one return bus trip.
In a recorded vote, only Councillors Gloria Kovach, Karl Wettstein and Christine Billings voted against keeping fares at the current level.
