Ottawa city council has unanimously approved a property tax hike of three percent for 2020. The tax increase will mean that the urban average homeowner will pay an extra $109 in property taxes for 2020 compared with 2019. The property tax increase will also impact the homeowner due to the recent 1.5 percent growth in newly assessed properties.
The 2020 operating budget of $3.86 billion, which is up $136.8 million over 2019, will allocate millions more in spending for transit and infrastructure such as roads and sidewalks. Earmarking $7.5 million for additional bus service, which includes the purchase of 19 new buses following the launch of the LRT line. The budget will also add $15 million to the city’s affordable housing budget, the same increase as seen in the 2019 budget.
