Brandon walks back double-digit tax hike

After initially proposing an 11.3 per cent hike, City of Brandon administration is now recommending a 6.6 per cent property tax increase in this year’s budget.

The move follows a decision by council to draw from surplus operating funds to reduce the hit to ratepayers.

“I think it was just prudent to use the funds to lessen the burden on the taxpayers for the coming year,” Coun. Glen Parker (Ward 9), a member of the audit and finance committee, said in an interview Tuesday.

At Monday’s budget meeting, the city’s director of finance recommended an 8.5 per cent increase, taking into account recent provincial funding and small tweaks to expected operating costs, but not the 2025 surplus.

The province last week gave the city about $1 million for upgrades at the Eastview Landfill, renovations at Andrews Field and to pave the Community Sportsplex parking lot.

The previous week, the audit and finance committee recommended $1.1 million of a $1.5-million surplus be used to lower this year’s tax increase, with the rest to be allocated for one-time council priorities.

In an 8-3 vote on Monday, council approved a motion from Parker to adopt the committee’s recommendation.

“I don’t think anybody really wanted to put eight and a half per cent out there when we had the funds available,” Parker said.

Surpluses have often been used to reduce taxes in the past.

Parker, who also serves as the deputy mayor, said he’s “not thrilled” with the tax increase hovering between six and seven per cent and would still like to see a lower hike after Friday and Saturday’s budget deliberations.

“I personally think there’s probably a bit more room to move, but I’ll see how those discussions go on the weekend,” he said.

“If we could get it in the five (per cent) range, I’d be probably fairly happy, given all the things that are going on right now.

“If it’s 6.5, all I can say is that’s better than 10.5 or 11.”

Finance director Troy Tripp said a 6.6 per cent increase would mean an average home assessed at $302,500 will pay $2,461 in property taxes, a $152 increase. The original proposed hike would have cost the average homeowner $2,550.

The change doesn’t have any effect on property tax increases in future budgets, which Tripp earlier this month projected at 10.8, 5.3 and 6.8 per cent from 2027 to 2029, respectively.

Mayor Jeff Fawcett said the updated increase is a good number to have going into the weekend.

“That does set the bar as to where we are, tells the public, ‘This is basically where we are,’” he said.

— Brandon Sun