{"id":37035,"date":"2025-10-23T13:16:34","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T17:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=37035"},"modified":"2025-10-30T13:38:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T17:38:51","slug":"aurora-looking-at-2-2-tax-increase-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/aurora-looking-at-2-2-tax-increase-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Aurora looking at 2.2% tax increase in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Aurorans could see a less-than-forecasted tax increase in the year ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Monday, Mayor Tom Mrakas tabled the Town\u2019s proposed 2026 Budget \u2013 with a proposed tax increase of 2.2 per cent, down from the 2.9 per cent initially estimated for the coming year through the Town\u2019s multi-year budget plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initial budget, which will be subject to further discussions around the Council table, includes a 0.6 per cent increase for Town operations, 0.6 per cent increase for Central York Fire Services, and a 1 per cent increase to capital reserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should the Budget ultimately pass at a 2.2 per cent increase, residents who own a home assessed at $800,000, can expect to see the municipal portion of their tax bill increase by $56.94.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI heard from many of you loud and clear over the past year: the cost of living is rising, you\u2019ve been tightening up your family budgets, and you expect your government to do the same,\u201d said Mayor Mrakas in a statement. \u201cWith your feedback in mind, this budget keeps the tax levy increase moderate \u2013 protecting residents\u2019 pocketbooks \u2013 while continuing to invest in the services, facilities and infrastructure that make Aurora one of the most desirable communities in Ontario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe all know that the past few [years] have not been easy. Families have been dealing with higher costs at every turn \u2013 groceries, gas, mortgage rates and so much more. That\u2019s why I made it my top priority to bring forward a budget that protects residents from unnecessary increases, while ensuring we don\u2019t compromise the future of our Town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorking closely with the CAO, finance team, and department directors, we achieved that balance by finding efficiencies, reducing discretionary spending, pausing non-essential projects, and implementing a temporary hiring freeze for 2026 \u2013 with no new staff positions added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat decision sends a clear message: we\u2019re doing more with what we have. We are respecting taxpayers by focusing on productivity, not payroll, and ensuring every dollar goes towards improving service delivery, not expanding bureaucracy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Aurora received Strong Mayor powers from the Province of Ontario, along with dozens of other municipalities, municipal budgets are now presented by the Mayor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his statement, Mayor Mrakas acknowledged calls from some quarters in the community, as well as motions around the Council table to deliver a zero per cent tax increase for 2026. Such a move, however, would have long-term impacts despite short-term appeal, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we look ahead, this budget continues that same philosophy \u2013 putting residents first, managing your tax dollars wisely, and making decisions that build on the strong, stable foundation we\u2019ve created together,\u201d he concluded. \u201cAurora continues to be recognized as one of the best places in Canada to live, work, and raise a family. That\u2019s not by chance \u2013 that\u2019s because of the choices we\u2019ve made and the priorities we\u2019ve set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to thank our dedicated staff, our finance team, my Council colleagues, and the many residents and businesses who provided input. Your ideas helped shape this budget into a plan that truly reflects Aurora\u2019s values and Aurora\u2019s vision. This is a budget for people, guided by principle, and focused on progress. And it ensures that Aurora remains strong \u2013 today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budget deliberations begin November 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aurorans could see a less-than-forecasted tax increase in the year ahead. On Monday, Mayor Tom Mrakas tabled the Town\u2019s proposed 2026 Budget \u2013 with a proposed tax increase of 2.2 per cent, down from the 2.9 per cent initially estimated for the coming year through the Town\u2019s multi-year budget plan. The initial budget, which will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-9Dl","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-05 02:27:14","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37035"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37036,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37035\/revisions\/37036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}