Budget Information

The City of St. John's' annual budget is ratified by Council each year in December for the upcoming year. The budget outlines the City's projected revenues and expenditures for the fiscal year.

Budget 2021

On December 7, 2020, the City of St. John’s released the details of Budget 2021 which includes measures to address a projected $10-12M deficit but no increase in residential or commercial property taxes.

The City budget was balanced at $312,526,525 through a mixture of spending reductions, fee increases and one-time investments from previous years’ surpluses.

“We are entering the 2021 fiscal year with an unprecedented level of uncertainty and therefore have crafted a budget with this reality in mind,” said Councillor Dave Lane, lead Councillor for Finance and Administration. “While we have taken measures to reduce the cost of government for this and future years, we are making use of COVID-19 relief funding and previous budget surplus funds to avoid an increased tax burden for the unpredictable year ahead.”

Water taxes will increase $15, from $605 for the past two years to $620 in 2021. This increase is required to fund current water operations, and all revenue from this tax goes directly to providing water service.

Councillor Lane's budget speech, delivered on December 7, and the City's budget tables are available in the 2021 Budget Book.

For previous year's budgets go to Publications and look under Budget.