Residents face 3.86 per cent tax levy hike
Whitchurch-Stouffville residents face a tax hike after Mayor Iain Lovatt tabled the 2025- 2027 Operating and Capital Budget and Water and Wastewater Budget under the Strong Mayor Powers.
“The budgets highlight the Town’s strategic priorities and set a road map for investments in our future,” he says. “Council and staff are committed to enhancing our residents’ experience in town and I believe these budgets demonstrate that.”
The 2025 gross operating expenditures of $87.4 million include a library grant of $3.2 million, leading to a net levy increase of 5.69 per cent, which is being directly invested in key infrastructure projects such as the Main Street reconstruction. When combined with York Regional and education portions, the overall 2025 blended property tax increase for residents is estimated to be 3.86 per cent.
That increase is expected to be one of the lowest blended tax rate increases in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), according to Lovatt. “This minimal increase projects Stouffville to have the seventh lowest tax rate in all of the GTA,” he says.
The 2025-2027 Whitchurch-Stouffville Operating Budget provides a strategic financial roadmap, guiding the Town’s decisions to ensure it achieves its goals while maintaining long-term financial stability. The document encompasses the Town’s Strategic Plan, master plan and statutory obligations, offering a comprehensive framework for managing its diverse range of services.
Several broad economic factors are influencing the Town’s financial outlook for 2025-2027. Ongoing inflationary pressures have increased the costs of goods and services, affecting everything from construction materials to fuel and utilities, the document notes. Rising interest rates have also impacted borrowing costs and could influence the financing of future capital projects.
Uncertainties in global supply chains and labour markets, meanwhile, are expected to affect municipal operations, especially in procurement and staffing. In addition, the provincial and federal governments’ fiscal policies, including potential changes to grants, funding models and regulatory requirements, may directly impact the Town’s budget planning.
The projected 2026-2027 budget is presented as a reference for Council, providing an early indication of future financial needs and priorities. However, staff will continue to reassess and adjust future budgets in the upcoming budget process, refining allocations based on updated economic forecasts, evolving community needs, and new information from ongoing projects and initiatives, the document reminds.
You can view the budgets at www.townofws.ca/budgets.