Hundreds of fee increases on the table at City of Kitchener finance meeting

A number of user fees are expected to increase next year in Kitchener, after the city's finance committee begins the budget process Monday by combing through 1,609 user fee items.

Fees ranging from renting a hall for a wedding at a city owned facility to the cost for burials, swim lessons and ice rentals will be looked at.

Finance Committee Chair Scott Davey said most of the fees will see an inflationary increase. One of the larger increases is for parking.

"We haven't actually increased our parking fees for a little while. They're only going up about 1.5 per cent this year," said Davey. "But there hasn't been anything that I would say is significant that the average person would say is out of whack."

If you use the parking garage on a monthly basis it is expected to increase from $175.00 to $177.50, including HST. The price for surface parking could rise from $164.94 to $167.45 for lot 22. While other surface lots increase from $153.90 to $156.25.

Some family activities like swimming and skating will see increases of around 11 cents to $2 depending on the type of swim or skating pass you chose.

Scott Davey said the city basis its increase on the provincial inflation numbers, which now sit at 2.4 per cent. 

"Staff goes through it very carefully and compares it to other municipalities," said Davey. 

"If we're well under, they'll try to make it comparable to our neighbours to make sure everything is equal across the region."

There are 29 new items on the user fee list including a proposed $5 charge for event parking and a new monthly indoor parking fee for motorcycle riders.