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. 

2025 Budget Engagement

The City is inviting residents and property owners to share their budget priorities and learn more about how their taxes are used.

What do your tax dollars buy?

Residents and property owners can better understand their property taxes by generating a property tax estimate.

Interested? Visit the 2024 Property Tax Calculator and enter your address or roll number to receive an estimate of how much City programs, services and external agency support costs you. 

The tool illustrates that the City collects property taxes for not only itself, but also the Region of Durham and the Province for local school boards. For every dollar collected in 2024, approximately 45 cents are sent to the Region and 15 cents to local school boards – the City will keep only 40 cents.

Share your budget priorities

Share what services and programs are important to you by adjusting funding and service levels in our Budget Simulator. Just like the City’s, your budget will need to be balanced in order to be submitted!

This engagement opportunity has closed Friday, June 7. Feedback will be shared with members of Council and considered in the development of the 2025 Mayor’s Budget.

Budget Process

The 2025 City Budget will be delivered to Council and made available online for public review on Friday, November 1. 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.

A Special Council Meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m., Friday, November 8 to hear public delegations on the 2025 City Budget. To submit correspondence or an in-person delegation request regarding a matter that appears on a published agenda, your request must be submitted to Legislative Services by 4 p.m. on the business day prior to the meeting. Requests to delegate electronically must be submitted by noon on the business day prior to the meeting.

2024 Budget

The 2024 City Budget requires a 3.89% increase to the overall City tax levy. This represents an increase to the City of Oshawa portion of the residential tax bill of approximately $82.25 (or $6.85 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 kept only 41 cents, while approximately 44 cents were allocated to the Region of Durham and 15 cents were 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

Visit the Region of Durham website for more information on their budget.