The report going to Saskatoon City Council on the first day of budget deliberations on Monday includes a proposed property tax increase of 3.51 per cent next year and 3.14 per cent in 2023. Chief Financial Officer Clae Hack says that’s less than the original estimates this summer of 5.96 and 5.42 per cent.

Four main reasons for the decrease are removing the Bus Rapid Transit phase-in, a lower than anticipated Saskatoon Police operating budget, an increase in the assessment growth revenues in 2022, and changes to the curbside organics and garbage pick up funding. Hack explains that Council made the decision to change black cart garbage from being part of the property tax to becoming a utility. Curbside organics will roll out in 2023 and pay as you throw for black bin garbage will be introduced in 2024.

With these tax increases, an average home assessed at $344,000 would rise by about $5.61 a month next year, and $5.19 a month in 2023. The total preliminary budget is $1.22-billion next year and $1.26-billion in 2023.

Hack explains one of the added costs the City has had to deal with since 2020 is the pandemic. The City has one-time funding from through the federal government’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure program with $23-million over the two years with a small contingency amount left over. However if another variant or other change was to significantly impact operations, Hack expects the City would have to talk with the federal and provincial governments about possible funding opportunities. City Council will deliberate next Monday through Wednesday.