REGINA – A double-digit property tax increase is coming to residents of Regina.
Regina city council has approved the 2026 operations budget Friday afternoon and it's hefty 10.9 per cent increase.
Following five days of slow and at times agonizing deliberations, including a final round of motions on Friday afternoon, council voted to approve Mayor Chad Bachynski's main motion on the operations budget, as amended, by a 6-5 vote.
Those voting in favor were Mayor Bachynski and councillors David Froh, Jason Mancinelli, Sarah Turnbull, Shonda Radons and Victoria Flores. Voting against were Clark Bezo, Mark Burton, Dan Rashovich, George Tsiklis and Shanon Zachidniak.
The 10.9 per cent mill rate increase will be a hefty one to taxpayers, but far lower than the 15.69 per cent originally proposed by city administration. But the final amount is also higher than the 10.73 per cent that had been proposed in Bachynski's original motion from Wednesday morning.
Budget deliberations are not yet concluded; next up is consideration of the utility budget as well as the library budget. The feeling at City Hall is that the entire budget will wrap up later today.
More to come.
