North Bay approves 3% property tax hike to fund $167M budget

City council in North Bay has not only approved its budget for 2025, it has approved a new four-year deal with municipal workers.

Meeting on Monday evening, North Bay city council approved the 2025 operating and capital budgets, which includes a three per cent property tax hike.

The 2025 budget totals $167 million, with a tax levy of approximately $114 million. This represents a 3.74 per cent before-growth tax levy increase -- or three per cent when assessment growth is included.

“For a homeowner with a property assessed at $300,000, the approved budget translates to a monthly increase of approximately $11.61,” the city said in a news release Monday evening.

The remaining portion is funded through grants, user fees, and other revenues.

“This budget balances the financial realities of today with the investments needed to secure North Bay’s future — ensuring essential services, supporting economic growth, and enhancing our community’s quality of life,” budget chief Maggie Horsfield is quoted as saying in the news release.

“We’ve worked hard to keep the tax increase as low as possible while still investing in the services and infrastructure our community depends on.”

Nearly 48 per cent of the tax levy ($54.9 million) will fund city police, the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board, North Bay Police Service, the public library, Capitol Centre, Cassellholme Home for the Aged, North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit and North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority.

The budget maintains existing service levels, the release said, while providing permanent funding “for the Outreach and Security Team program, ensuring continued patrols in the Downtown Waterfront and Cassells Street areas without reliance on reserves,” the release said.

There’s also funding for the expansion of doctor recruitment, completion of the transition to a fully online building permitting system and the redevelopment of the former CP Rail lands, specifically between the North Bay Museum and the Dionne Quints Museum.

The general capital budget, which totals $80.6 million, is funded from the capital levy, debentures, federal and provincial government grant programs, development charges, reserves and other contributions.

The water and wastewater capital budget, which totals $17.8 million, is funded through water and wastewater rates, reserves, federal and provincial government grants, and debentures.

More details on the 2025 budget can be found here.