Amid high inflation and uncertainty from Bill 23, Cambridge city council voted unanimously to pass one of the largest budgets in the city's history Tuesday.
With operating costs ringing in at $149 million and a $74 million capital budget, 2023 will cost over $30 million more than the previous year.
The 4.74 per cent increase will add an average of $70 to the tax bill of each Cambridge home.
Ward 8 councillor and budget chair Nicholas Ermeta acknowledged the difficult year it has been and understands staff has had to deal with competing interests from all over the community.
“This is a budget that I’m proud to support, even though the increase was higher than I wanted personally,” said Ermeta.
Councillors echoed their concerns over Bill 23 and how uncertainty paints a muddy picture for the future of the city and its budget.
"I don't want to say the sky is falling, because we don't know," said mayor Jan Liggett in response to questions surrounding Bill 23. "There's a danger to not raising taxes or raising them to where they should be."
Liggett would have liked to see taxes raised higher in the past to account for any shortfalls the city might see when it comes to getting funding from the provincial government.
A part of the tax increase comes from the approval of the $19 million reconstruction of the Riverside Dam in 2025.
Some members of council tried to remove the dam reconstruction from the budget, saying they acted too hastily in its approval. But that move was defeated 5-4 in a final vote.
The dam sits in Ward 1 which is overseen by coun. Donna Reid. Before the Tuesday meeting, Reid was all in for the dam to be brought back to life for the sake of heritage; now she wants to see it be brought back to public consultation.
"I would like to have the consultations we had previously for everyone to see and hear and for our indigenous friends have a say," said Reid.
This motion gathered support from Coun. Scott Hamilton and Mike Devine who all agreed the city acted too quick and without enough input from the public; especially during a tight budget year.
The city initially projected a tax increase of only 3.9 per cent, but has since raised to the approved 4.74 per cent to deal with increases to staffing levels and to account for development charges being covered by the city.
The City of Cambridge will waive development charges for certain projects including affordable housing and to boost construction in the downtown cores. This is estimated to cost the city over #37 million over the next five years.
