Budget Engagement Begins at City of St. John’s

As the City of St. John’s prepares for the 2022 budget, members of the public are invited to participate in a public engagement process to gather feedback on priorities and key considerations.

Engagement for the 2022 Budget will take a phased approach.

• Beginning today, individuals can participate in a discussion forum and learn more about how the City prepares a budget at engagestjohns.ca.
• The site includes a tax calculator tool and also a tax receipt tool which gives property owners a breakdown of how their taxes are used to fund city programs and services.
• Throughout the summer, the public will be invited to submit feedback on a variety of topics, ranging from levels of service to priority areas and taxation.
• In early October- following the municipal election - the City will host ward-based sessions on the feedback gathered throughout the summer as well options to address budget challenges for 2022. 

The Budget for 2022 will be announced in early December.

Overall, 70% of the city’s revenue comes directly from residential and commercial property taxes and water tax. Due to the overall decrease in property values, the City anticipates an $8M reduction in revenue for 2022. Expenditures are also projected to increase by $5.2M in 2022, primarily due to debt repayments, investments in fleet maintenance and program and community commitments.

To participate in budget engagement and be informed of upcoming engagement opportunities, please register at engagestjohns.ca or follow the project page.

To provide feedback you can also email engage@stjohns.ca or call 311 to speak to a member of the project team.