Additional costs have prompted the city administration to recommend a revised 5.84 per cent increase in property taxes in 2025.
Saskatoon’s new city council is expected to begin discussions about the 2025 budget next week — including a proposal for a slight bump to the already-expected increase in property taxes.
Additional costs have prompted the city administration to recommend a revised 5.84 per cent increase in property taxes in 2025, up 0.2 per cent from projections in last year’s budget talks.
The increase for 2024 was 6.04 per cent, which was the largest since 2014, when taxes went up 7.43 per cent.
Expenses for transportation services, police and the fire department account for roughly two-thirds of the higher costs facing the city, primarily from inflation, according to the report.
The remaining third of the civic expenditures increase covers a list of items, including repaying debt from the 2022 emergency snow response, contributing to the bus rapid transit project, licensing costs and parks maintenance from new green spaces in the city.
Utilities are also expecting significant changes in the 2025 operating plan.
Water utility expenditures are expected to increase by 8.8 per cent; wastewater treatment costs are expected to increase by 3.3 per cent, and Saskatoon Light and Power costs are expected to increase by 5.4 per cent.
However, the city expects revenue from utilities to increase by 5.6 per cent in 2025.
“As the utilities are required to be self-balancing, the difference between the increase in revenues and expenditures is offset by corresponding changes to the planned transfers to reserve,” the report says.
Monday’s meeting agenda also includes reports covering budget adjustments for Remai Modern and SaskTel Centre, an update on the material recovery centre, increased service levels for the Emergency Wellness Centre, and a debt update.
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