Ottawa City Hall: Staff directed to draft 2025 Ottawa budget with at least a 2.9 per cent tax hike [Video]

Ottawa residents are facing at least a 2.9 per cent property tax hike in 2025, but questions remain about how the city will fill a $120 million hole in the transit budget.

The finance and corporate services committee approved the budget directions to draft the 2025 City of Ottawa budget on Monday by a vote of 9-3. Councillors Shawn Menard, Rawlson King and Jeff Leiper voted against the budget directions.

“I have more of a problem with the political priorities here. Right now, I have trouble getting community centres funded,” Menard said. “We’re struggling on things like bathrooms in parks, we can’t keep them open on the infrastructure side. Splash pad closures, pools, sidewalk repairs – we’re having a lot of issues keeping up with basic services and so I have a lot of trouble with the across the board 2.9 per cent approach.”

Under the proposed budget directions, staff …