Last month, Ottawa City Council set a 2023 tax increase limit of 2 to 2.5 percent. At the same time, inflation is running at 6.8 percent, OC Transpo continues to run substantial deficits, and city staff have estimated recent provincial changes to development charges could cost the city $60 million/year.
The 2023 draft city budget will be tabled February 1, and will be debated at committees and City Council until March 1.
With this crunch bearing down, you might want to look more carefully at the budget to check that services important to you are being preserved and your priorities are reflected: for example, in police, transit, housing, snow-clearing, and maintenance. Check Engage.Ottawa.ca for more info.
You can tell councillors your views directly on Tuesday, February 15 at a budget session for Somerset, Kitchissippi, and Capital wards.
The session will be online; we will post the link in this story on centretownbuzz.ca when it’s available.