The property tax hike will cost the average homeowner an extra $6.12 a month. Pictured: Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop. Photo Credit: Town of Fort Erie.
The 2025 Fort Erie Budget has been approved in principle by the Town Council. As a result, homeowners will see a 4.95 per cent increase to the Town’s component of their residential property tax bill for this year. This hike will cost the average homeowner an extra $6.12 per month in fees.
“Fort Erie is poised for another year of significant economic activity, residential and commercial construction, and growth,” said Mayor Wayne Redekop.
Redekop explained that the high rate of growth has increased the need for asset management in the municipality, which he said council “made a commitment” to improving. Asset management includes the maintenance of essential infrastructure, such as water and wastewater lines, roads and bridges, storm systems, parks, and recreational facilities.
“The 2025 Budget supports the important services and infrastructure needs of the community,” said Fort Erie Director of Corporate Services Jonathan Janzen. “It is pressured by years of higher inflation, recent falling interest rates and the asset lifecycle investments required for current residents and future generations,” he continued.
“It limits the overall 2025 tax increase by minimizing the number of new expense requests, promoting non-tax revenues such as building and facility fees, and by using reserves where appropriate to fund one-time costs.”
Redekop outlined some key areas where Fort Erie collects revenue to fund imperative projects.
“The Town continues to attract new industries by maintaining the allocation of $600,000 to development charge (DC) grants and updated revised tax incentives of $79,756. This means jobs, increased tax assessment, and economic spin-offs. History tells us that these incentives have worked for us,” Redekop shared.
“The capital reserves and tax incentives account for 2.07%. They are prudent allocations of funding that will ensure that Fort Erie remains competitive in today’s world while maintaining service levels that our residents need in the face of rising costs.”
The 2023-2026 Corporate Strategic Plan outlines the most pressing issues that Town budgets should seek to address. These include health care access, growth management, environmental sustainability, diverse housing availability, economic profitability, and quality of life.
Some of the most significant projects which will be covered by the 2025 Capital Budget are $250,000 for the Town Chamber AV, $385,000 to replace the Oakes Park Pewee Field Lighting, and $680,000 to replace the Ferndale Park Spraypad. They will also include a $3-million upgrade to Thunder Bay Road and a $2-million road resurfacing program for 2025.
The 2025 Operating Budget will be utilized to provide municipal services and expand strategic areas, like the approval of staffing requirements, including a Permit Application Technician, Parks Technician, Arboriculture, and a Supervisor of Construction Projects, Growth.
There are also a number of single-time initiatives which the Operating Budget will cover, including Town Hall landscaping improvements, an extensive Zoning By-law review, a Community Planning and Permitting System, as well as an update regarding the Facility Condition Study.
In total, the 2025 Capital Budget will be $26,038,412, the 2025 Operating Budget will be $36.89 million.
When the Town of Fort Erie, Niagara Region and Boards of Education levies are all included, the median household will see a $19.40 per month increase to their tax bill.
