Taxes and City Finances

Waterloo residents need a City that is fiscally sustainable and socially progressive. We must ensure that City tax increases are kept low, because we need to focus on better government rather than simply bigger government.

The role of a City is to provide essential services that support how people live, work, and play. These include economic development, clean and safe water, roads and bike lanes, sidewalks and trails, libraries, and parks and recreation. The City also must foster a cohesive and inclusive community that encourages and supports arts and culture, poverty reduction, doctor recruitment, community development, and democratic participation.

To do that in a fiscally sustainable way and still provide services that support everyone in our community, we must find and leverage new partnerships with a variety of public, private, and non-profit associations and organizations. We must do this because we are stronger together, and because each group has different expertise to bring to the discussion.

In a community with as many talented and creative people as we have here in Waterloo, we can and should bring them into the conversation and work together to implement solutions. Together, we can reduce our RIM Park debt burden and provide good services more affordably for our residents. As someone who can bring people together, balance different interests, and focus a diverse group on agreeing on solutions, I would work hard to build a socially progressive City that keeps tax increases low and gets the most value for our money.