2018 Budget Engagement

Timeline

This year, the City of Winnipeg is facing some difficult decisions to close the gap between forecasted tax supported spending and revenues in 2018 from last year’s budget process. The budget must strike a balance between current fiscal challenges and investment in services and infrastructure. The City is legally required to balance its budget under The City of Winnipeg Charter.

As the City keeps growing, demands on City services and infrastructure keep growing and outpacing the City’s ability to fund them adequately. A budget will be prepared that reflects citizens’ priorities for key services and infrastructure while investing in the future of our city. The 2018 budget will be built with Winnipeggers by identifying collaborative and creative solutions to close the gap in the budget.

Building on last year’s goal of increasing public engagement in the budget development process, this year’s public engagement process was enhanced through the addition of an online budgeting tool, idea forum and numerous pop up events throughout Winnipeg. To learn more about how you can participate, please visit the Engage tab.

Let’s build the budget together.

Last year, during the 2017 budget consultations, we heard that Winnipeggers wanted to be involved earlier in the budget development process. The 2018 budget development process started with your feedback. The City of Winnipeg is committed to working collaboratively with the public to prepare a balanced budget for 2018. Winnipeggers had multiple opportunities to provide their input for the budget development process through this year’s public engagement program, including an online survey, budgeting tool, idea forum, and pop-up events located throughout the City.

The 2018 budget consultations took place between April 5, and April 30, 2017. The public feedback gathered through this process will allow the City to develop a budget that reflects Winnipeggers’ priorities for key services and infrastructure while investing in the future of our city. Feedback was compiled into a Public Engagement Report to provide input in the budget development process. Please visit the Documents tab to view the full report and summaries.

Winnipeggers will still have the opportunity to participate in the 2018 budget development process by registering as a delegation at Standing Policy Committee meetings once the preliminary budget is tabled. To register as a delegation for Budget participation please contact 311.

Open all | Close all

2018 Tax Supported Projected Revenues - $1,084.8 million

Pie chart showing 2018 projected revenues of $1,084.8 million: 54.0%, $586.2 million, in Property Tax; 5.2%, $56.2 million, in Other, *Includes dividends from utilities, annual payment from the sale of Winnipeg Hydro and miscellaneous department revenue; 2.2%, $24.0 million, in Transfers from other funds; 1.7%, $18.0 million in Interest; 5.9%, $64.2 million in Sale of goods and services; 5.4%, $59.0 million in Regulation fees; 12.0%, $130.4 million in Government grants; 5.8%, $63.2 million in Street renewal frontage levy; 2.4%, $26.1 million in Other taxation; and 5.3%, $57.5 million in Business tax.

Date added: March 23, 2017

2018 Tax Supported Projected Expenditures - $1,173.6 million

Pie chart showing 2018 projected expenditures of $1,173.6 million: 25.1%, $295.0 million, for Police Service; 21.7%, $255.2 million for Public Works; 18.0%, $211.2 million for Fire Paramedic Service; 10.5%, 122.7 million for Community Services; 4.0%, $47.4 million for Planning, Property and Development; 0.9%, $10.6 million for Land Drainage; 2.0%, $23.3 million for Solid Waste Collection; 1.2%, $14.1 million for Street Lighting; 3.2%, $37.1 million for Corporate Support Services; 1.8%, $20.6 million for Assessment and Taxation; 0.8%, $9.3 million for Corporate Finance; 1.2%, $14.3 million for City Clerk's; 1.4%, $16.4 million for Other Departments **Includes Chief Administrative Offices, Mayor's Office, Audit, Office of Policy & Strategic Initiatives, Legal Services, Museums; 2.5%, $29.3 million, for Corporate, *Fixed corporate costs; and 5.7%, $67.1 million, for Contribution to Transit.

Date added: March 23, 2017

Budgetary challenges didn’t happen overnight. The increased demand on services, due largely to growth and other factors, has outpaced the City’s ability to fund them adequately.

1997 - The City of Winnipeg had comparably high residential property taxes relative to other Canadian cities.

1998 - The City began freezing property taxes (and therefore revenue received.)

1998-2011 - Property taxes were either cut or frozen. By the end of the period the City had an overall 6% property tax revenue reduction. But the city still grew and tax-supported expenditures continued increasing.

Over the last 15 years (1999-2016), other cities have continued to approve annual property tax increases for use for both their operating budgets and their capital/infrastructure budgets.

Cumulatively, these amount to significant increases relative to Winnipeg’s 9.0%, as displayed in the table below.

1999-2017 Annual Property Tax Increases for Canadian Municipalities

City	Cumulative 1999 to 2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	1999 to 2016	2017
Vancouver	36.7%	1.2%	5.8%	2.0%	2.0%	2.8%	2.0%	1.9%	2.4%	2.3%	59.1%	2.0%
Edmonton	35.3%	7.5%	7.3%	5.0%	3.9%	5.4%	3.3%	4.9%	5.7%	3.4%	81.7%	3.4%
Calgary	32.6%	4.5%	5.3%	4.8%	5.0%	6.0%	5.5%	5.0%	4.5%	3.5%	76.7%	0.0%
Saskatoon	28.8%	5.4%	2.9%	3.9%	4.0%	4.0%	5.0%	7.4%	5.3%	3.96%	70.7%	3.9%
Regina	20.8%	2.8%	0.0%	4.0%	4.0%	3.9%	4.5%	5.9%	3.9%	3.3%	53.1%	4.2%
Winnipeg	-6.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	3.5%	3.9%	2.95%	2.3%	2.33%	9.0%	2.33%

Tax Supported Operating Budget - Forecast

Enlarge

In addition to the freeze on property taxes, the gap between forecasted tax supported expenditures and revenues is due to other factors, including:

• Population growth;
• Increasing costs of construction, and;
• Increasing costs of labour and staffing levels.

Date added: March 23, 2017

• Corporate Finance – Home
• Corporate Finance Documents - Budgets
• City of Winnipeg Budget Information