City of Windsor Operating Budget Committee recommends 4.59% tax increase, waiving patio fees

The City of Windsor’s City Council Operating Budget Review Committee (OBRC) has recommended some potential savings to council in an effort to lower the initial tax increase put forward for the 2023 budget.

The initial tax increase proposed by administration for the city’s 2023 budget was 5.23 per cent. After days of meeting with departments, agencies boards and commissions, city officials say the OBRC is now putting forward a $2.8 million reduction, lowering a potential increase to 4.59 per cent.

“This has been a very worthwhile process, but to paraphrase the saying – it’s not the beginning of the end, it’s the end of the beginning,” committee chair and Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis said in a news release. “My ward council colleagues and I have taken a detailed look at the pressures put forward by administration and found some significant potential savings by paring down the asks rather than eliminating them altogether. Between now and budget deliberations, we’ll be looking for even further savings for our rate payers.”

Officials say the OBRC voted unanimously on the cost reductions without affected services, and also recommended against increasing paid parking hours downtown or adding fees to the rodent abatement program.

The review committee also recommended another year of waiving patio fees for local businesses.

Officials say feedback from the OBRC will be presented for debate during fall budget deliberations which are set for April 2023.