Regina to aim for 5.81 per cent property tax hike cap, but not binding

The City of Regina’s budget process will look a little different for the coming year compared to last year, and will include an attempt by the administration to meet a council directive to hold the line on property taxes.

The strategic imperative adopted by council calls for Regina to keep its municipal property taxes within the lowest 25 per cent among comparable Canadian cities.

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According to the administration report, that means keeping any tax hike within 5.81 per cent. Councillors will be presented with a budget first draft that reflects that.

This is a change from the process for 2026, which saw council presented with a tax increase that would be needed to maintain the status quo along with a long list of options to reduce spending.

Mayor Chad Bachynski then proposed a list of reductions that, with some modifications, resulted in a lower increase of 10.9 per cent.

“I brought forward a starting point,” Bachynski recalls, “and it was everything left on the table as a starting point, and I tried to wheel it back maybe a little bit based on the conversations I had with administration.

“This takes me out of the mix of that. Administration will put their best professional opinion as a starting point, and then council can debate from there.”

But Bachynski pointed out during Wednesday’s council meeting that 5.81 per cent is not binding. Council may make changes that reduce or increase it.

“I heard clearly that we’re going to see the implications of any changes to service levels in that so we will know what it takes, like noted, to run the city,” he said.

“I expect that we would have that same level of transparency, so that way we can understand if the 5.81 is an accurate number when we talk to our residents and understand the service expectations that they have.”

There were some concerns from councillors that having that number in the draft would constrain them during deliberations.

“I’d like to keep taxes lower too, but I think my first job is to actually understand what is required to run the city based on what we’ve committed to and what is required,” Ward 3 councillor David Froh said.

Acting city manager Jim Nicol explained the number is only meant to be a starting point.

“We’re not tying your hands. We want to give you some place to really start with, so that we don’t necessarily repeat last year,” he said.

The plan approved by council includes a list of meeting dates for discussion. First drafts will be brought forward for discussion on the following dates: