A Winnipeg city councillor wants to increase property taxes to pave the way for more road repairs.
Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt wants the city to hike property taxes by 4.33 per cent – that’s two percentage points more than what’s being proposed.
“In light of the fact that streets are crumbling, we have to be frank and we have to be up front with the challenges we’re facing,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt said Mayor Brian Bowman won’t be using the already proposed increase for roads as promised, but rather to cover the operating budget.
“If the mayor needed the two per cent property tax to balance his operating budget, he should’ve been saying that from the get go,” he said. “The two per cent we were always raising it by for the roads should stay for the roads.”
Wyatt will be putting forward a motion Tuesday morning to hike property taxes so that two per cent will still go to the road renewal funds.
That would take the roads budget from $105 million to $116 million.
The mayor’s office said the entire property tax increase is dedicated to infrastructure. Two per cent is dedicated for the renewal of renewal of regional and local roads. The .33 per cent is for the southwest rapid transitway.
Comments