$56 property tax increase for average household in Waterloo region in 2017

An average household will pay an additional $56 this year in taxes to the Region of Waterloo after a 2.95 per cent tax increase was approved Wednesday night.

The increase includes increases of 2.31 per cent for regional services and 0.64 for police.

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"Keeping pace with the demands for service that ensure a good quality of life is key to our budget, and residents of the region continue to receive good value for their property tax dollars," Regional Chairman Ken Seiling said in a release after the budget was approved.

The biggest cost drivers in this year's budget includeenhanced paramedic services and increased transit services along express routes in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.

The region plans to hire 15 paramedics to reduce ambulance response times.

Money was also earmarked to add six infant child care spaces at the Elmira Child Care Centre as well as to hire personal support workers at Sunnyside Home in Kitchener. There is also money to repair or replace aging bridges, roads, water and wastewater infrastructure, affordable housing units and regional buildings.

'Costly but necessary'

The regional services portion of the budget was the same increase that was first proposed in October, but that initial report did not include ambulance service upgrades or money for Grand River Transit.

In October, regional councillor and budget committee chairman Sean Strickland said once EMS and transit were added in and the police budget, the region could be looking at a four per cent increase.

"We recognize that's not acceptable for the region, and we'll have to roll up our sleeves and see what we can do to bring that tax increase down, and also strike that balance in terms of improving the services that our community needs," he said.

In an email to CBC News, Strickland noted the budget committeeremoved $4.7 million dollars from the draft budget.

In the release Wednesday night, Strickland called the increases "costly but necessary."