Kitchener’s 2025 budget continues to advance strategic priorities

The City of Kitchener has released its 2025 budget, outlining a plan that includes three key priority areas: delivering City services, investing in infrastructure and advancing strategic priorities. The 2025 budget maintains momentum towards achieving the goals of the City’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan while also delivering a reasonable property tax rate increase of 3.9 per cent, which works out to $49 dollars a year for the average home.

“In building this year’s budget, staff worked tirelessly to balance the affordability struggles felt by many in our community, while also continuing to invest in the services and amenities important for our community members and their quality of life,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “This year’s initial staff proposed budget remains one of the most affordable in Ontario, while making needed investments in our infrastructure, in our core services, and in the vision laid out by the community in our 2023-2026 strategic plan.”

For the average home in Kitchener, the rate increases for the 2025 budget are:

• property taxes: 3.9% or $49 annually
• water utility: 4.9% or $23 annually
• sanitary sewer utility: 6.9% or $41 annually
• stormwater utility: 7.4% or $18 annually

The 2025 budget represents a combined annual increase of $131 for the average household, based on the average assessed value of $326,000 and annual water consumption of 170m³.

The three key priority areas of the budget are:

• Delivering City services: investments that maintain the current services delivered to the citizens and businesses of Kitchener.
• Investing in infrastructure: annual funding for facility infrastructure has increased $5 million/year since 2019, with and additional $6 million allocated in the 2025 budget to fund facility repairs and rehabilitation.
• Advancing strategic priorities: the 2025 budget highlights $75 million in funding to advance strategic priorities outlined in the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan, with $56 million of it coming from the provincial and federal governments.

“We have a clear vision of what we want Kitchener to be, and I’m glad to see we continue to make real progress towards that outcome,” said Ward 1 Councillor and Chair of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee Chair Scott Davey. “This year’s budget includes a lot of great examples of improvements for the citizens of today and investments for the citizens of tomorrow.”

The City is looking for feedback on its investments towards the goals of the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. To provide your input, please fill out the survey which will be open until November 20.

This year’s budget process involves the following key dates:

• Operating budget day: Monday, Nov. 18
• Capital budget and public input night: Monday, Nov. 25
• Mayor’s budget proposal: Monday, Dec. 2
• Council votes on amendments: Thursday, Dec. 12 
• Budget adopted: Friday, Dec. 27

Visit the City of Kitchener’s council and committee calendar to find the agendas when they’re available. People interested in watching the budget meetings can do so live or on-demand.  

To read the full proposed 2025 budget and take the survey, visit kitchener.ca/budget.  


For more information, contact: 
Shawn Falcao
Manager, Corporate Communications
City of Kitchener
shawn.falcao@kitchener.ca