Kitchener passes 2026 city budget featuring 2.2 per cent increase

Construction begins at Carl Zehr Square in downtown Kitchener. (Mar. 30)

The average homeowner in Kitchener will be paying approximately $29 more on the city’s portion of their property taxes next year.

Council approved the 2026 budget on Thursday, featuring a 2.2 per cent tax rate increase.

Some of the highlights included $1.5 million for new community parks, more than $45 million for road reconstruction projects and $3.3 million for the city’s tree canopy plan.

To keep the rate low, the city paused its hiring of new staff positions.

“We achieved this without kicking any cans down the road,” Councillor Scott Davey, Finances & Corporate Services committee chair, said during a meeting Thursday. “We’re not taking money from any one-time funds or anything to achieve this target. In fact, our reserves are quiet healthy, our tax-supported debt is very, very low and has been getting lower over the years. So I think this is quite the achievement.”

Davey praised staff for their work to get the budget to this point.