Budget
The budget is our key planning document to support decision-making on City infrastructure and services in order to meet the needs of our community today and tomorrow.
In preparation for the delivery of the proposed 2024 City Budget, the City is inviting residents and property owners to share their budget priorities and learn more about how their taxes are used.
Share your budget priorities
Share your budget priorities this fall:
- Submit your preferred City budget on our Budget Simulator before 12 p.m., Tuesday, October 10; and,
- Participate in a Budget Telephone Open House at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 18.
Budget Simulator
Share what services are important to you and what programs you would prioritize by adjusting service levels and funding for eight key areas on our Budget Simulator.
Simulator values are based on the approved 2023 City Budget and can be increased or decreased by 2.5 per cent or 5 per cent, or left as is to maintain the 2023 service levels.
Balanced budgets can be submitted until 12 p.m., Tuesday, October 10 and will be considered in preparation of the proposed 2024 City Budget. All individual responses will be anonymous and only used to summarize overall feedback received from the public.
Budget Telephone Open House
Save the date! Join us at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 18 to ask Mayor Carter and senior City staff your City budget questions.
We’ll be calling Oshawa landlines and provided mobile numbers beginning at 7 p.m.
Register your mobile number before end of day Monday, October 16 to make sure you don’t miss a minute! You can register your number online on Connect Oshawa, by email or by calling 905-436-5686.
You can also join the call the night of by dialing 1-800-889-2075.
Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter and senior City staff will be on the line until 8 p.m. answering your budget questions, including topics related to:
- the City budget, comprised of both operating and capital budgets, and municipal budget process; and,
- City services and programs, such as:
- waste, green bin and yard waste collection;
- City roads, including maintenance and snow clearing;
- parks and recreation;
- sidewalk maintenance; and more.
Programs and services not covered in the City budget include Regional services (e.g. blue box collection, Regional roads, police and ambulance services, social housing, transit), as well as Provincial and Federal services and programs. Learn more about the roles and responsibilities of different levels of government on our Government Services webpage.
A recording of the Open House will be available online on the City’s YouTube channel in the days following the event.
What do your tax dollars buy?
Better understand how the City invested your 2023 tax dollars with a personalized, estimated receipt that details of how your money was used to fund City and external agency services.
Enter your property value to receive a line-by-line receipt of how much City programs, services and external agency support cost you. Renters can request their property value from their landlord or enter Oshawa’s average assessed property value ($356,000) to get an idea of a how much City services may have cost them.
Keep in mind: the Taxpayer Receipt only generates the City’s portion of an Oshawa tax bill and does not include taxes collected on behalf of the Regional Municipality of Durham and the Province of Ontario for local school boards. For every dollar collected in 2023, approximately 44 cents were allocated to the Region and 15 cents to local school boards – the City kept only 41 cents.
2024 Budget Process
The proposed 2024 City Budget will be delivered to Council and made available online for public review on Friday, November 10.
Members of the public are welcome to watch the meeting online via webstream or in person in Council Chambers beginning at 9:30 a.m.
2023 City Budget
Oshawa City Council approved the 2023 City Budget on Thursday, January 19, 2023.
The approved 2023 City Budget requires a 4.98% increase to the overall City tax levy. This represents an increase to the City of Oshawa portion of the residential tax bill of approximately $101.53 (or $8.46 per month) on a property assessed at $356,000 (Oshawa's average house assessment value as published by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation).
As a lower tier government, the City of Oshawa collects property taxes on behalf of the Regional Municipality of Durham and the Province of Ontario for local school boards. For every dollar collected in 2023, the City will keep only 41 cents, while approximately 44 cents are allocated to the Region of Durham and 15 cents are sent the Province for local school boards.
Operating & Capital Budgets
The City's budget is aligned with the goals of the Oshawa Strategic Plan, Financial Strategy and Council's guiding principles of sustainability and financial stewardship. It is made up of an operating and capital budget that:
- balances competing priorities and challenges
- provides affordable services and programs that meet our community needs
- invests in our city by maintaining and building infrastructure, including roads, sidewalks, trails and parks
- saves for the future by increasing our reserve balances to ensure the financial health of the City
The operating budget plans for the cost of delivering services such as snow removal, road maintenance and fire services and maintaining current infrastructure.
The capital budget plans for the costs of constructing and renewing buildings, roads and parks and investing in key strategic priorities for the city's future.
City Budgets
2023 Budget |
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The 2023 operating and capital budgets, approved by Council on January 19, 2023, resulted in a 4.98% increase on Oshawa's portion of a resident or property owner's tax bill. 2023 Capital Budget2023 Operating Budget
External Agencies |
Visit the Region of Durham website for more information on their budget.