Draft budget to be released to council - moving forward together

City of Waterloo staff will be presenting the 2020 - 2022 proposed operating and capital budget to council on Dec. 9, 2019 and will be seeking council’s approval of these budgets on Feb. 10, 2020.

Also on Dec. 9, the proposed utility rates for 2020 will be tabled with council for their consideration and approval on Jan 13, 2020.

Business plan presentations will be delivered on Jan. 13, 20, 27, 2020 and provide an opportunity to inform as well as educate about many things the city does. The plans provide context to assist council with the upcoming budget decisions. For the community, the business plans provide an overview of the various service levels the city provides, along with key projects planned for 2020 - 2022.

This three-year budget supports the priorities of the community – to support an inclusive, strong, green and vibrant Waterloo that is within the financial capacity of the community. It is focused on the delivery of core civic services for residents and businesses – and contains the investments for the future to ensure the city can respond to the needs of a growing city. The budget is closely aligned with the city’s strategic plan, which was built with input from close to 11,000 residents who shared their priorities with the city. Between Dec. 10, 2019 and Jan. 11, 2020, staff will be conducting online public engagement with the community to check in on the priorities set through the proposed budget.

What follows are the key dates leading up to budget day (Feb. 10, 2020) when council approves the budget for 2020 to 2022:

Dec. 9, 2019 - proposed budget documents (including city utility rates) are presented to council and available to the public
Dec. 10, 2019 - public engagement with residents takes place until Jan. 11, 2020
Jan. 13, 20, 27, 2020 - Department business plans are presented to council
Jan. 13, 2020 - City utility rates are approved
Feb. 3, 2020 - Proposed capital budget is presented to council
Feb. 10, 2020 - Three-year operating and capital budgets are approved, a capital forecast for 2023 - 2029, in principle, is approved and a summary of the public engagement results is presented to council

For more information, visit waterloo.ca/budget.

Media contact:
Tony Iavarone
Director, Communications
519-747-8513
TTY: 1-866-786-3941
tony.iavarone@waterloo.ca