HUMBOLDT – The City of Humboldt will see a 3.95 per cent increase in property tax and a utility rate increase of 5.28 per cent for 2025.
The City of Humboldt held a budget meeting on Dec. 2 and 9 to review and approve the 2025 budget.
City administration originally proposed a 5.5 per cent increase in property taxes. City council then decreased that to a 4.58 per cent and then again to the approved 3.95 per cent.
Mayor Muench said at the budget meeting that council and administration try to keep tax increases as low as possible without affecting too many services.
Overall, this budget included over $34 million in revenues, $15.8 million in operating expenses, and nearly $16.2 million in capital expenditures. The budget meeting lasted almost nine hours reviewing a 188-page budget document. The 2025 budget allocated $798,097 of the City’s revenues to service debt obligations.
“It was a long process but I’m glad we took a week off between meetings to go through and try to whittle the numbers down,” said Mayor Rob Muench. “It’s one of those things where tax increases are never a thing you want to do but we have a lot of things we need to get done especially in the capital realm of things.”
Six roadway projects, two water main replacements, and the wastewater treatment facility and lift station 1 and 4 upgrades highlighted the capital projects approved within the 2025 budget. There were additional approvals for equipment and fleet, and an upgrade to the aquatic centre flooring.
Many capital projects planned for 2025 will be funded from reserves by the city in combination with grant revenue that the city anticipates from provincial and federal programs.
Mayor Muench added, “I hear a lot from people about the need to fix our roads, and we all know that it comes at a cost. Over the past few years, inflation and rising material costs — particularly for asphalt and piping — have driven prices up significantly. We can’t afford to fall behind again.”
To view the Approved 2025 Consolidated Budget, go to humboldt.ca.
