Windsor taxpayers will have a better idea on what to expect from the 2025 budget on Friday.
Mayor Drew Dilkens along with chief administrative officer Joe Mancina and city treasurer Janice Guthrie will be presenting and tabling the 2025 budget at 10 a.m. at city hall.
As AM800 news reported in December, the estimated tax increase currently sits at around 5.5 per cent.
Back in September, Dilkens said the 2025 preliminary budget estimate, without reductions, would result in a tax increase of 12.9 percent.
Since then members of council have been apart of three different committees searching for operational and service-level savings in the city's 2025 operating budget.
They have been working with city commissioners and other members of administration to find savings.
The city has pointed to extraordinary budgetary pressures for the estimated increase, driven primarily by factors outside of the corporation's control, including contractual obligations, legislated requirements, and inflationary pressures.
Mayor Dilkens must present the proposed budget by Feb. 1, 2025, under Ontario's Strong Mayor Powers, at which point council will have 30 days to review and make any recommendations for change.
The 2024 budget was first approved with a 3.91 percent property tax increase; however, the tax rate was increased to 4.61 percent in May after the mayor reopened the budget as $3.2 million more in spending was approved to support the Strengthen the Core—Downtown Windsor Revitalization plan.