Windsor's ward 1 councillor is reacting to the new that the 2025 tax increase now sits at around 5.5 per cent.
Mayor Drew Dilkens announced the reduction estimate Tuesday, which was again down from his initial announcement in September, that the 2025 preliminary budget estimate, without reductions, would result in a tax increase of 12.9 percent.
The ten members of council have been meeting since late September as part of three different committees to search for operational and service-level savings in the city's operating budget for next year.
Councillor Fred Francis says he's still not happy with the estimated increase.
"5.5 [per cent] is still too high, obviously when you look at the rate of inflation in October, it was two per cent, when you back go back a year it was about 3.2 per cent or something in that regard, so 5.5 is not only still higher than the rate of inflation this year, but it's about two per cent higher than the rate of inflation last year, so there's still a lot of work to be done."
Francis says he had a meeting with the mayor last week where the councillor was able to share his concerns surrounding transit matters, the budget, and other service levels.
He says the mayor then asked him if he had any capital project requests for ward 1.
"I let him know quite frankly, we were able to do a lot of the work in the last 10 years outside of the normal roads, sewers, and playground equipment, and whatever's next on the to-do list for administration, that's kind of what I was looking for. I'm certainly not looking to add to the budget number, certainly not looking to the tax increase number, so I was certainly measured in my asks."
Francis says he now understands that this is 100 per cent the mayor's budget through Ontario's Strong Mayor Powers.
"He's funneling through all the recommendations, he's gathering as much information as he can, and you've got to give him credit. He is trying to bring that number down as much as he can, he certainly doesn't want to see it at 13 per cent, nobody else does, but I think the number I want to see it at, compared to the number he wants to see it is different."
The mayor must present the proposed budget by Feb. 1, 2025, at which point council will have 30 days to review and make any recommendations for change.
-With files from AM800's Rusty Thomson and The Shift with guest host Kyle Horner
