Chatham-Kent council could get a headstart on property tax talks for the 2025 budget if a local municipal councillor has his way.
Ryan Doyle, who represents South Kent, is proposing a 7.5 per cent reduction in next year's budget. A maximum of 2.5 per cent could be cut from frontline services.
As part of the previously approved multi-year municipal budget for Chatham-Kent, the municipality could start its deliberations in November with a proposed increase of 8.17 per cent for 2025. However, municipal staff also mentioned during a June council meeting that CK Council had approved additional plans throughout 2024 that would result in taxes rising by over 9 per cent.
"We need to do something, we can't sustain these big tax increases year after year. We're gonna end up taxing our middle class into poverty," said Doyle.
He also explained that he has had residents on fixed incomes reach out to him to say they cannot afford a 9 per cent increase. He said they mentioned to him that if property taxes keep rising, they would most likely need to look at renting a home instead of owning property in order to try and save money.
"That's not fair to people who work their whole lives to have something and now they can't afford it," Doyle added.
Doyle said he also had a conversation with a local landlord who told him they would most likely have to sell their rental properties as they are not making enough on rent to cover any large property tax increases.
Doyle's motion is somewhat vague, so that municipal administration can find the best way to cut the budget rather than being told specifically what to slash.
In Doyle's opinion, he doesn't believe it would be too hard to get rid of some of the services the frontline workers are currently doing.
"Sometimes I think we have too many services and we're in people's lives a little too much," Doyle told CK News Today. "I don't think having every service we could possibly have to make people's lives easier is worth people getting taxed out of their homes."
Ward 6 Councillor Michael Bondy has already thrown his support behind the motion, which will be formally set before council at a future meeting. Bondy also explained he helped Doyle create the proposal.
For Bondy, he believes administration could just eliminate some positions.
"If every position is vital, then a reduction in wages. Five per cent is nothing, it's chickenfeed. I'd give up five per cent in a heartbeat," he said.
Taking a pay cut of 5 per cent is something Bondy and Doyle both say they would be more than willing to do.
"I can't say, 'Everybody else do it,' and us not," said Doyle.
Bondy also noted if administration does believe a wage reduction would be the best course of action, the people impacted would be higher paid employees instead of people who may be just getting by.
The 2025 budget will be presented in November.