November 21, 2024 • Volume 39, No. 15
Next edition December 5
Proposed city budget includes 3.9% tax increase
QB Grayson Rouleau avoids a would-be tackler in the NCAFA U12 A-Cup championship game against the West Carleton Wolverines on day in which three different Panther teams won their respective city titles. See story page 17. STAR PHOTO
By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star The City of Ottawa unveiled it’s proposed budget for 2025 which among other things contains a 3.9 per cent tax increase and a five per cent increase in transit fares for OC Transpo and O-Train users. More than one quarter of the proposed tax increase, or one per cent, is accounted for as a direct result of an eight per cent hike in the transit levy. For the owner of an average home with a market value assessment of $415,000, a 3.9 per cent tax increase will equate to an additional $168 on the municipal portion of property tax bill. The amount could be higher or lower depending on the market value assessment of your home. Keep in mind that your tax bill also includes a school board levy which is set by
the province. In practical terms, the five per cent increase in transit fares will see an adult monthly pass jump from $128.75 to $135. Seniors 65 and over who use the transit system will be especially hard hit as the cost of a senior monthly pass will more than double in 2025 from $49 to $108. Meanwhile, passes for youth age 13-17 are being scrapped altogether. They will have to pay the same $135 for a monthly pass as adult riders. Just what type of impact the higher fares will have on ridership that has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels is anybody’s guess. In the meantime, homeowners are being asked to make up the difference through the eight per cent hike on the transit portion of their tax bill. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2