WINNIPEG -- Winnipeg City Council has passed the 2021 Budget.
The capital portion of the budget was approved by an 11-5 vote. The operating budget narrowly passed by a 9-7 margin.
The budget includes the annual property tax increase of 2.33 per cent, with the majority of that going to roads.
The property and business tax deferral will continue into next year and the budget contains other pandemic relief including a $1,500 grant program for small businesses.
The city was able to avoid deep cuts in the budget with federal and provincial money used to offset revenue losses in transit and elsewhere because of the pandemic.
“The federal government is actively providing assistance to our operating budget in a significant way,” Mayor Brian Bowman said on Wednesday. “The dollars we would like to deploy for the benefit of the business community and not-for-profits is a direct result of the financial support from the federal government.”
The budget has $15 million committed for assistance during the pandemic, including $4 million set aside to purchase personal protective equipment and sanitization equipment for frontline workers in city departments.
