Brampton council is considering a staff report recommending the city increase user fees for most city services in the upcoming 2019 budget.

According to the report, council will have to choose between the fee hikes for everything from recreational to animal services or be required to add 0.25 per cent to property taxes.

City staff presented the report at the Dec. 5 committee of council meeting. Council will vote on the recommendations at its regular meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 12.

“Alternatively, if this council deems that they do not want to approve additional user fees, the only additional revenue source to help fund programming is through the property tax,” Treasurer David Sutton told council, adding the increases would net the city an additional $1.25 million in annual revenue for the city.

Should council adopt staff’s recommendations, residents can expect a five per cent increase in most recreation user fees to help offset costs directly affecting the price of programs such as minimum wage increases, labour rates and utility costs.

Other programs affected include animal services, which could see an average 2.5 per cent increase, while facility rentals would increase 2.4 to five per cent.

The report also recommended fee increases in several areas in addition to the above mentioned, while adding some programs could experience larger increases or a reduction in some cases depending on market demand, benchmarking and other factors.

Mayor Patrick Brown and some other councillors raised concerns over the effect fee increases could have on other city initiatives aimed at promoting health and fitness and keeping youth off the streets.

“If we’re talking about the societal costs of growing rates of obesity and diabetes, on one hand (we’re saying) ‘be more active’, but we’re at the same time putting up increased costs to follow that direction,” said Brown, adding the city is engaged in multiple active partnerships with school boards and community.

Sutton told council that staff is committed to those partnerships, while providing assurances existing supports for low-income, at-risk families and residents would remain in place.

