CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Property taxes will increase by 5.46 per cent this year after a months-long-debated budget finally passed this month.
On Feb. 10, in the middle of a more than three-hour Stratford city council meeting that included delegations from numerous residents on the budget, the tax increase was approved after one more debate by council.
During said debate, council discussed the increased burden Stratford and other municipalities face while other levels of government – namely the province – shirk responsibility. Many councillors felt they had to bear that responsibility, especially through their social services department, a sentiment shared throughout deliberations.
Mayor Martin Ritsma said the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), a network of the municipalities in the province, is advocating for change.
“We need a new partnership with the province with regards to covering things in our budget that we historically haven’t covered,” Ritsma said. “Four-hundred and forty-four municipalities across Ontario have shared that with the province.”
“And quite frankly, the province is not listening,” Coun. Cody Sebben said in response. “They're not advocating for municipalities and not advocating for Stratford, and they know they're underfunding – they're being told quite often, in my opinion. They're not listening.
“We can complain about the province and that's fine. We can try and make change as a municipality to the province, make them listen. In the meantime, while the years go by and the budgets go by, this is the last stop for charging our residents to make up that slack.”
Sebben argued they were scapegoating the province and not finding efficiencies in the budget. He said they need to both complain about upper levels of government underfunding and also work harder to bring their budgets down – not one or the other.
Coun. Mark Hunter said they could match the province’s funding and cut down the services they would provide to match the funding, namely through the municipality’s social services department, but it would disproportionately affect vulnerable residents. It would increase homelessness and poverty in the city.
“It does leave us in a spot,” Hunter said. “I’m not prepared to make that choice. … I don’t have the stomach for that.”
Originally, a 5.39 per-cent increase to the budget was expected to pass; however, a last-chance delegation from Nora Auster, Leif Wahlquist, Zach Kritzer and Ewan Mann of the Stratford District Secondary School Eco-Club advocated for a new community energy liaison contract position, which had been requested by staff in last year’s budget as well, to finally be implemented to the tune of $104,850.
While appreciative of the work the city has done to combat the climate crisis, they argued more needs to be done not just by the city.
“Even during tough times, we cannot turn away from taking action on the climate crisis. It affects our futures,” Wahlquist said.
The liaison position, which was subsequently added to the budget after a 9-2 vote with Coun. Mark Hunter and Coun. Lesley Biehn opposed, will assist Stratford citizens in finding savings related to green initiatives like governmental grants.
After that final position was implemented into the budget, it passed in a 7-4 vote with Biehn, Sebben, Coun. Geza Wordofa and Ritsma all opposed.
This year’s budget adds a $5,948,452 increase to the tax levy, which is $86,038,828 total.
During budget deliberations, council voted on the following additions and subtractions which affect the bottom line that taxpayers will foot:
• Striking the costs to maintain the Normal School in 2025, saving $250,000, given its potential sale this year.
• Deferring $60,000 for a traffic-study consultant.
• Approving an emergency exercise for Stratford’s first responders, expected to cost $50,000.
• A new supervisor of policy placemaking position, $76,296.
• Changing six casual recreation positions into permanent positions, $16,776.
• A new Ontario Works caseworker position, $21,730.
• A new bylaw enforcement officer position, $60,686.
• A new bylaw supervisor position, $68,705.
• A new financial services supervisor, $66,514.
• Two vehicles for the new bylaw staff, $110,300.
• An additional $45,000 to the CAO’s budget, as required, rather than the requested new communications coordinator position.
• A new backflow prevention officer position, $30,343.
Additionally, council approved a few other changes that will not impact the rise in tax rates. Instead, reserve funds or other savings are expected to fund these initiatives:
• Using $700,000 from the tax stabilization reserve fund to bring down the levy increase.
• Using Municipal Accommodations Tax (MAT) revenues to fund $150,000 for Lights On Stratford, saving that money from the levy.
• Using MAT revenues to fund $150,000 for the Attainable Housing Incentive Community Improvement Plan.
• Supports to investStratford for its Grand Trunk endeavours.
• Two new electronic message board trailers.
• An additional mobility bus.
• A new facilities plumber position and vehicle.
• A new facilities electrician position and vehicle.
• A new water meter technician position.
The full budget can be found on the city’s website at www.stratford.ca/en/inside-city-hall/2025-budget.aspx.
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