City of Brandon budget proposes 6.9% tax hike amid inflation, COVID-19 pressures

Brandon's city council begins deliberations Friday morning on its2022 budget one affected byinflation and the COVID-19 pandemic, and which proposes a 6.9 per cent municipal tax hike for Manitoba's second-largest city.

If approved, the operating budget will also see spending among city departments increase by almost $10 million or 11.9 per centover the 2021 budget.

Over the next two days,city council will go through the proposed $93.6-million operating budgetand its $132-million capital budget, and hear presentations from city administration and departmentofficials faced with rising costs in recent years.

"Senior administration has worked diligently to keep this [tax increase] percentage as low as possible while dealing with rising inflation costs, challenges due to COVID-19, and the need to properly invest in infrastructure projects which will support ourcity'sfuture," reads a news release from the city.

The city is also relying on $40 million in provincial and federal grants to balance its capital budget.

Brandon's protective services budget, which makes up more than a third of the city's operating budget, is proposed to go up by $1.17 million, with a draft increase of almost $900,000 to the Brandon police budget alone.

The city is also proposing a 78 per cent increase to the growth, economic development and housing budget most of which is attributable to a $3.9-million hike in the budget for housing initiatives.

The capital budgetincludes proposals for drainage improvements, a new sewage lift station for the southern part of the city, a new ladder and rescue vehicle for the city's fire department, and a $14-million allocation to a new outdoor sports complex.

The proposed tax increase is markedly higher than those proposed in past budgets.

In 2021, Brandon city council approved a budget that saw the residential property tax rate go down by one per cent, after a proposed increase of 3.15 per cent.

The increase in2020was held to 0.47 per cent, while 2019 saw a 1.17 per cent increase passed after deliberations.

The city will live stream budget deliberations on Friday and Saturday on its YouTube channel.

After council passes the budget, it will go to a public hearing before it is ratified.