The City of St. John’s has released a nearly too-good-to-be true budget for 2025, with no cuts to programs or services and no increase in the mil rates.
The only significant cut is a good one – with the subsidy for St. John’s Sports and Entertainment (SJSE) reduced by more than $700,000. The city attributes that to an increase in the number of concerts, events, and meetings at both the Mary Brown’s Centre and convention centre.
That reduction compares to an injection of almost $600,000 last year, though the total subsidy remains over $6 million.
The city’s lead on Finance, Ron Ellsworth says the growth in event scheduling is projected to enhance revenue streams and offset operating costs. Reports that a new major junior hockey team may relocate to St. John’s next year also bodes well for SJSE.
Overall, the 2025 budget comes in balanced at $349,151,881, an increase of 1.5 per cent over 2024.
The residential mil rate stays at 9.1 while the commercial rate remains 29.5. There is also a minimal $15 per unit increase in the water tax for homes, and 2.22 per cent rise for businesses, with the city noting all revenue from the water tax flows right back into providing the service.
Other highlights of the budget include:
• An investment of almost $25 million for capital project spending, which supports
important projects like fleet enhancement, road rehabilitation, sidewalk repairs,
traffic safety initiatives, information technology, repairs and enhancements to
facilities and capital grants to community groups.
• Investing over $2 million to enhance sidewalk snow clearing, including shared
use paths.
• A 10% increase in investment for the City’s Grant Program of $143,000.
• An investment of $703,000 to Advantage St. John’s, a regional economic
development agency that was formed this year. The agency will align resources
between the Town of Paradise, Town of Conception Bay South and St. John’s to
collectively elevate economic development opportunities and build stronger and
more resilient communities in the region.
• An additional $598,000 is allocated to Metrobus for service enhancements,
acquisition of hybrid busses and capital costs associated with the transition to
zero emission busses.
