By Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen, March 7, 2019
Ottawa families will pay more for drinking water, transit, recreation programs, garbage pickup and other city services now that council has approved the 2019 municipal budget.
Council on Wednesday locked in the $3.6-billion operating budget and $767-million capital program with a unanimous vote, confirming in a three-per-cent property tax increase and hiking several user fees.
The transit tax on property tax bills, which helps pay for LRT and OC Transpo, will increase by 3.5 per cent. The Transpo fare increase scheduled for July 1 will mean transit customers pay on average 2.5 per cent more, but council could face the question of extending the fare freeze past Canada Day if the LRT system doesn’t open by then.
(...)The stormwater fee is increasing by 9.8 per cent, one of the few changes to the city budget after it went through the committee process. It was originally set at 10.8 per cent, but the environment committee recommended knocking it down by reducing the stormwater infrastructure capital program for the year.
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/city-council-approves-2019-municipal-budget-with-three-per-cent-property-tax-increase