Oshawa City Council approved the 2021 city budget on Friday, December 11,
It requires a 1.41 per cent increase on Oshawa’s portion of a resident or property owner’s tax bill, which represents an increase in the total tax bill of approximately $28.25 on a property assessed at $356,000 (the average house assessment value in Oshawa), said a city statement.
The 1.41% tax levy increase is only on the city portion of a resident or property owner’s taxes.
The city budget is aligned with the goals of the Oshawa Strategic Plan, Financial Strategy and Council’s guiding principles of sustainability and financial stewardship.
The 2021 budget increase is driven by a number of unavoidable costs and pressures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic that has had a major impact on municipal finances, including lost revenues and increased costs. The city has implemented a number of strategies and cost containment measures to reduce the impacts, said the statement.
The 2021 Operating Budget:
- Maintains the base 2020 levels of service (some service levels were reduced in 2020 to comply with Provincial orders);
- Addresses volume growth;
- Includes inflationary increases;
- Addresses contractual labour increases; and,
- Incorporates the outcomes of various continuous improvement initiatives.
The City of Oshawa is part of a two-tier government system and collects property taxes on behalf of the city, the Regional Municipality of Durham and the province for local school boards. For every dollar collected, approximately 41 cents is allocated to the region and 18 cents to local school boards – the city keeps 41 cents.
The approved 2021 City Budget will be available online in the coming weeks on the City Budget webpage at www.oshawa.ca/budget.