2024 City Budget Engagement

This engagement is now finished. Thank you for your participation! 

Your community. Your budget. A dark blue background.


City Council approved the 2024 municipal operating and capital budget bylaws on Jan. 16, 2024.


Providing services to our community is much like running a business. That business is governed by Council's direction in the form of strategic priorities and approved service levels. The budget provides the financial resources to fund those priorities and to provide municipal services to the community.

Like a business, the City must:

  • Ensure that the way we invest, spend and generate revenue provides value to our residents
  • Evaluate how we are delivering services and make improvements to processes and practices when necessary
  • Plan for the future by forecasting service requirements and related capital investment

As a resident, the budget impacts you. Every. Single. Day. So have your say.

Get involved!

  • Before Sept. 8, complete a brief survey to provide feedback on the 2024 budgets and future budget engagement
  • To complete the survey by phone or to request a paper copy, call 613-546-0000
  • Use the Ideas tool to let us know how we can involve more people in budget conversations
  • Watch for us at events around Kingston in August and September
  • Follow this page to stay updated about the project and learn about other engagement opportunities

About the City's budgets


Your community. Your budget. A dark blue background.


City Council approved the 2024 municipal operating and capital budget bylaws on Jan. 16, 2024.


Providing services to our community is much like running a business. That business is governed by Council's direction in the form of strategic priorities and approved service levels. The budget provides the financial resources to fund those priorities and to provide municipal services to the community.

Like a business, the City must:

  • Ensure that the way we invest, spend and generate revenue provides value to our residents
  • Evaluate how we are delivering services and make improvements to processes and practices when necessary
  • Plan for the future by forecasting service requirements and related capital investment

As a resident, the budget impacts you. Every. Single. Day. So have your say.

Get involved!

  • Before Sept. 8, complete a brief survey to provide feedback on the 2024 budgets and future budget engagement
  • To complete the survey by phone or to request a paper copy, call 613-546-0000
  • Use the Ideas tool to let us know how we can involve more people in budget conversations
  • Watch for us at events around Kingston in August and September
  • Follow this page to stay updated about the project and learn about other engagement opportunities

About the City's budgets


This engagement is now finished. Thank you for your participation! 

  • Survey and engagement results

    If you require information in an alternate format, please call 613-546-0000. We will work with you to understand your specific information and accessibility needs and to provide for them within a reasonable timeframe.

    Project highlights

    Get Involved Kingston engagement statistics:

    • 151 engaged participants completed surveys or submitted future engagement ideas
    • 693 aware participants visited the project page

    In-person event engagement statistics:

    • 26 participants (single or couple) rated the overall value received for their tax dollars
    • 25 responses about how the City could better use tax dollars

    Survey

    The following provides a summary of the survey response highlights. Responses were shortened for brevity and clarity. Feedback that did not follow the City of Kingston’s Guidelines for Participation was omitted.

    1. How well do you feel you understand the City's budget and how tax dollars are spent?

    Response Number of Respondents Response percentage
    I am very familiar with how the municipality’s budget is spent. 25 16.6%
    I have some understanding of how the municipality’s budget is spent 98 64.9%
    I am not familiar with how the municipality’s budget is spent. 28 18.5%
    Total 151 100.0%


    2. In 2023, the average residential property valued at $328,100 paid $3,809 in property taxes for all municipal services, including roads, sidewalks, pathways and trails, winter control, fire, police, recreation, parks, transit, garbage, and recycling. How would you rate the overall value received for your tax dollars?

    Response Number of Respondents Response percentage
    Excellent 10 6.8%
    Good 49 33.1%
    Fair 62 41.9%
    Poor 27 18.2%
    Total 148 100.0%


    3. Are there any current programs or services that you think Council should consider reducing or eliminating? If so, please list.

    There were 74 responses to this question. Responses were summarized into the following themes:

    • Budget reductions
      1. Police budget
      2. Non-core infrastructure spending like arts and flag-raising sets
      3. Reduce social service expense to invest in infrastructure or recreation
      4. Reduce administrative staff
      5. Fire services budget
      6. Reduce climate change spending
      7. No budget cuts should be on programs and services for residents
    • Infrastructure and transportation
      1. Kingston should move away from car-centric infrastructure and planning
      2. Review bike lanes for usage
      3. Reduce roads and parking development so funding can be allocated to active transportation
      4. Bicycle initiatives
    • Economic programs and services
      1. Universities should pay costs associated with large gatherings/parties
      2. Reduce tax breaks (if any) for larger companies and corporations, or on incentives for businesses to relocate to Kingston
      3. Drop reduced taxes for empty storefronts
      4. Eliminate funding to KEDCO and Tourism Kingston
    • Environmental programs and services
      1. Stop subsidizing high-pollution industries like aviation and cruising
      2. Reduce garbage and green bin collection to every other week in winter
    • Public services and urban planning
      1. The Integrated Care Hub
      2. Some recreation/festivals – they could go to the private or volunteer sector
      3. Reduction of the urban growth boundary to intensify growth over time and reduce costs to deliver municipal services
      4. Art/interactive displays downtown

    4. Please identify whether you would support an increase in user fees for these services if this meant a reduction in the level of support from property taxes.

    Programs or Services Support an increase Do not support an increase Undecided
    Recreation (sports fields and park fees 51 83 12
    Arenas (ice rental fees) 75 63 12
    Recreational programming (e.g., fitness / aquatics) 50 83 15
    Transit fares 34 113 1
    Cultural programming fees (e.g., Grand Theatre, museums) 68 71 10
    Garbage bag tags 74 63 11


    5. Do you have a project or idea that could positively impact your neighbourhood or community?

    There were 92 responses to this question. Responses were summarized into the following themes:

    • Urban Mobility and Infrastructure
      1. Expansion of bicycle infrastructure and protected bike lanes
      2. Foot patrols and enforcement in the downtown area
      3. Traffic calming measures, such as planters and bollards
      4. More bus/public transportation services to rural areas
    • Environmental Conservation and Awareness
      1. Invasive species eradication and native plant promotion
      2. Nature talks and park/garden development
      3. Green initiatives like e-waste collection and solar panel installations
      4. Community-led climate education and campaigns
    • Community Development and Services
      1. Utilization of public spaces for more activities and facilities
      2. Affordable housing initiatives and neighborhood watch programs
      3. Support for local events and festivals, such as mini-festivals and music events
      4. Initiatives for community gardening and composting
    • Infrastructure and Civic Services
      1. Improvement of city roads and pavements
      2. Increased presence of garbage and recycling bins
      3. Enhanced staffing and services in libraries
      4. Property maintenance initiatives and neighborhood beautification
    • Sustainable Development and Environmental Research
      1. Land acquisition for environmental research and community projects
      2. Frequency of transit services and initiatives for environmental sustainability

    6. Have you previously participated in any of the City's budget engagement activities (survey, virtual sessions, in-person pop-ups, ideas tool)?

    Response Number of Respondents Response percentage
    Yes 51 33.8%
    No 74 49.0%
    Unsure 21 13.9%
    Prefer not to say 5 3.3%
    Total 151 100.0%

    7. What budget engagement tools and/or activities do you think are most effective for engaging the community in the municipal budget process?
    Note: Respondents could select more than one tool.

    Response Number of Respondents
    Get Involved Kingston project webpage 104
    Budget open house 62
    Virtual presentations 59
    In-person pop-up events 52
    Interactive activities 53
    Surveys 110
    Special speaking/information sessions 43
    Other tools or events (please specify) 21
    Total 148

    Those who selected “Other tools or events” specified the following:

    • Promotional emails
    • Offline promotion/engagement for those who do not have access to the Internet
    • Social media (free or sponsored advertisements)
    • Online education courses to help the public understand the basics of municipal budgeting
    • YouTube videos
    • Events that allow for families with children to participate
    • Better advertising of events
    • Sharing information/speaking with community groups
    • Promoting specific information of departmental budgets, and how residents’ actions can impact
      • Promoting how to engage with local Councillors to discuss the budget and budget process
      • Incentives to participate, such as giveaways
      • Hard copy participation – flyer mail and community board notices
      • Relationship building

    8. Is there any additional information we could provide that would be useful in understanding the City's operating and capital budgets? Note: Respondents could select more than one tool.

    Response Number of Respondents
    The budget development process and how decisions are made 82
    The different sources of revenue for the City 98
    Details of specific services and service levels available 89
    The costs of services and programs 122
    The difference between the operating and capital budgets 79
    How the budget impacts my property tax bill 53
    How capital projects are prioritized and funded 61
    How tax dollars are allocated to various services and program 107
    Other (please specify) 15
    Total 147


    Those who selected “Other” specified the following:


    • Who works on which projects
    • Pecuniary interests
    • How a 0% tax increase would affect services
    • Visual statistical charts accompanied by brief explanations of why you want to go in the direction that you do
    • For each service delivered by the City, how much goes into actually improving the target of the expenditure versus how much is spent on financing the bureaucrats and bureaucracy responsible for making the improvements
    • More detailed financial and budget information easily available online to the public
    • A breakdown of department salaries as a whole over five years
    • Explain how resident actions can affect budgets. For example, by-law enforcement services. Let residences and businesses know that any time their actions require investigation and/or enforcement of by-laws, that this is adversely impacting their property tax bill
    • Information about the cost of delivering municipal services per capita to different land uses and densities (urban, suburban, rural) to encourage the right development in the right areas. For example, the tiny homes project for veterans at King St/Portsmouth Ave project is a missed opportunity to provide a much higher residential density inside the urban boundary to avoid having to expand development in other areas
    • Information about how all taxes are collected and spent
    • How the police budget is developed, funded, monitored, and controlled
    • How the City is staffed and how to increase staff and services
    • Explanations of why residents may be taxed for services they do not use
    • The climate implications of budget decisions
    • Information about housing services/budgets

    In-person pop-up events

    Two in-person pop-up engagements were held – one at Springer Market Square and one at the INVISTA Centre. At both sessions, residents could provide input by placing a sticker on the white board indicating how they would rate the value received for their tax dollars and add an entry to the idea board by responding to the question, “Based on where you added your sticker, how could the city better use your tax dollars?

    The following summarizes the results of these interactive activities. The picture below shows the results of the white board activity and the additional responses received. Responses were shortened for brevity and clarity. Feedback that did not follow the City of Kingston’s Guidelines for Participation was omitted.

    In 2023, the average residential property valued at $328,100 paid $3,809 in property taxes for all municipal services, including roads, sidewalks, pathways and trails, winter control, fire, police, recreation, parks, transit, garbage and recycling. How would you rate the overall value received for your tax dollars? A continuum line is labelled Poor, Fair, Good and Excellent. There are 26 pink dots along the line. One sits on the Poor line. Four sit between Poor and Fair. Two are on the Fair line. Thirteen sit between Fair and Good. Two sit on the Good line. Four sit between Good and Excellent.


    Additional comments received:

    • North of Highway 401 loses out on many services
    • The Property Standards department should receive more money to address the condition of houses, specifically in the University District
    • More bicycle infrastructure, park amenities for older children, keeping tree canopies in urban neighborhoods and public waterfront amenities
    • Nothing – taxpayers get good value
    • Program traffic lights as a system to increase efficiency
    • Price of FitPass is too expensive
    • Some neighbourhood streets/cul-de-sacs are not plowed fast enough
    • Doctor shortage
    • Bus routes, bicycle infrastructure, youth shelters, fix roads
    • Tree trimming and maintenance needs to be more proactive
    • Advanced road closure signage
    • Waterfront improvement
    • Better wayfinding for washrooms
    • Green boxes for condominiums
    • Righthand lane going north and south on Montreal/John Counter Boulevard
    • Secure an airline provider
    • Geese taking over some parks, making them undesirable
    • Pedestrianize streets around City Hall in the summer
    • Repair streets and potholes properly, following the right procedure
    • Use Waaban Crossing for transit routes
    • North of Highway 401 receives no road maintenance including grass and ditch cutting; roads also not maintained to support highway closures
    • Better park amenities in Briceland Park
    • There is quick service for parks and tree removal and excellent garbage removal in Kingston

    Ideas Tool

    The 2024 budget engagement utilized the “ideas” feature on the Get Involved Kingston Budget page. This tool provides the opportunity for the community to engage with each other by submitting creative ideas in response to a variety of questions. Others can see ideas once posted and show their support by “liking” their favourite ones.

    The ideas tool was used solicit suggestions for increasing participation in the budget engagement process - what tools and activities will generate the most interest and how staff can encourage participation from an expanded and more diverse cross section of residents.

    The following are comments submitted by registered Get Involved Kingston participants and by residents at in-person events. Responses were shortened for brevity and clarity. Feedback that did not follow the City of Kingston’s Guidelines for Participation were omitted.

    What other ways can the City engage residents on the budget? Are there opportunities for us to bring more people into the conversation?

    There were seven responses to this question. Ideas provided include:

    1. Run bus ads with prompts (e.g. “You asked, we listened. Last year, the City invested xx on yy topic. Have your say at…”)
    2. Further outreach including pop-up events, social media events and paid advertising
    3. Use social media to promote the budget more
    4. Visit high schools or youth organizations to educate on how the budget works and how to get involved
    5. More diverse and targeted engagement strategies that use different tactics to reach various groups
    6. Incentives to complete surveys
    7. Hire post-secondary students who can support increased engagement activities