The City of Kitchener has joined its tri-city counterparts in passing the budget for next year.
During a special council meeting on Tuesday, Kitchener council unanimously passed the budget, which includes a 2.2 per cent tax increase for 2026. That translates to a rise of $29 for the average household. In total, the average homeowner can expect to pay an extra $117 more a year, including water, stormwater and sanitary sewer rates.
Across the tri-cities, Kitchener’s tax increase has come in at the lowest. In Waterloo, property taxes will be increasing by 6.4 per cent, and 2.44 per cent in Cambridge.
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic thanked staff and councillors for coming together on the budget during Thursday’s meeting.
“This doesn’t happen magically; it happens because of a high level of discipline that helps ensure we bring in a budget that’s affordable for residents in our community,” said Vrbanovic.
He noted that this was the third year in a row without any budget amendments.
Breakdown of costs for Kitchener homeowners:
- Property tax increase: 2.20 per cent, or approximately $29 annually
- Water utility rate increase: 4.90 per cent, or $24 annually
- Sanitary sewer utility rate increase: 7.00 per cent, or $45 annually
- Stormwater utility rate increase: 7.40 per cent, or $19 annually
When the budget was first proposed last month, the city pitched it as a chance to keep the costs down for residents while also focusing heavily on planning for the future.
Some of the big highlights include:
- Over $45 million for road construction
- $19.5 million for board and grant funding, including for Centre in the Square and the Kitchener Public Library
- $3.3 million for the city’s tree canopy plan
- $2.4 million for trail upgrades
- $1.5 million for community parks
All eyes now turn to the regional horseshoe, which will be discussing and potentially passing its budget next week.
