The City of Windsor has mailed out the final 2025 property tax bills.
The invoices include the 2.98 per cent increase approved by city council back in February during budget deliberations.
Mayor Drew Dilkens said the 2025 budget focused on investments in roads, sewers, parks, recreation, and transit, while focusing on supporting the increased growth and development in Sandwich South and surrounding areas.
Ward 1 councillor Fred Francis says he's already received calls and emails from residents who are unhappy with the bills.
"They're just not happy that their taxes are going up, and I don't blame them, affordability is still a big challenge for a lot of people in our city, and seeing their property taxes increase is not going to help you put together a family budget, a household budget, if your household income, and your household revenue is not increasing," Francis said.
Francis says the city's operating budget is just under $1-billion with nearly half of that raised through property taxes.
"If the city, and city council, spent less, and actually spent on things that we should be spending on, and not maybe some lavish projects that increase our operating budget, then maybe our taxes wouldn't have to go up as they are, but that's what we have to look at," he said.
"We have to look at how much money do we have coming in, and how much money we have going out."
Francis says by eliminating the asset management tax, the city could offer residents an immediate tax break.
"Yeah, it's nice thing to have more money coming in, but when you're already charging residents a tax for capital, why are you charging a second time? Do the work that we need to do, instead of some of these lavish capital projects that we've seen in the last few years," Francis said.
"If we direct those tens of millions of dollars to our roads, sewers, parks, then perhaps we don't need a second capital tax, and we could save people in Windsor even more money."
Francis says council will soon be asked to again extend the asset management tax.
Residents will also receive instructions included in their final 2025 property tax bills on how to pay.
The city says final due dates for regular tax payments are July 16, September 17, and November 19, 2025.
Payment must be received by the city on or before the due dates noted, or penalties and interest (which can add up to 15 per cent of the taxes on an annual basis) will be added for late payments.
Failure to receive a tax bill does not exempt property owners from paying their taxes.
Those who have not received their tax bill(s) by Monday July 7 should call 311.