Relief and disappointment: 2 Winnipeggers on what this budget means for their families and their finances

With another city budget day come and gone, Winnipeggers now know what 2019 will bring in terms of city spending — and what it will take in terms of taxes.

The 2019 budget delivers a 2.33 per cent property tax hike — despite Mayor Brian Bowman's hints earlier this week it could be more than nine per cent — and lines up a $30-million drop in road repair spending.

It also dedicates $299 million to policing — up from last year's $288 million — and promises a low-income bus pass alongside frozen adult transit fares.

CBC News spoke to two Winnipeggers about how this budget will affect their bottom line.

George Thomas, a social worker and a father of four, bought his first home in August 2018 through the Indigenous Home Ownership Program. This is his first budget as a homeowner, and he said cash flow is good for his family right now.

Thomas was prepared for a property tax hike, but Bowman's suggestions of a much-higher number had him apprehensive.

That didn't actually happen, and Thomas said his family won't be hit hard by the real jump of 2.33 per cent.

"It's a relief," Thomas said. "Being a first-time homeowner … such a huge hike was very concerning."

Low-income bus pass may still be out of reach: single mom

Joy Black, a single mom of two, wasn't looking at the property tax increase. She was hoping to see help for low-income Winnipeggers.

She isn't working right now in order to care for her 15-year-old son, who has cognitive disabilities. Her daughter just turned 18, excluding Black from a second federal child tax credit, so she supports her family with the child tax credit she gets for her son and Manitoba Employment and Income Assistance.

That adds up to less than $10,000 a year for her family, she said.

"It's been a long time since we could get things like cheese, juice. I don't even buy yogurt anymore even if it's on sale because the sale prices aren't that great, according to our budget," she said.

"We don't go to movies. Eating out is a luxury. … There's a lot of things that we don't have or do that a lot of people take for granted."

The budget says the city will introduce a low-income bus pass this year. Details won't be firmed up until the public is consulted, but a public works committee motion from November floated the idea of a minimum 50-per-cent discount for low-income adults.

That would work out to $50.05 a month — not enough of a slash to put it in reach for Black.

"Even if they cut the bus that monthly bus pass in half, that is still not affordable for me," Black said. 

"It might be good for people who are low-income [who are] working … but not for me."

Instead of a bus pass, Black purchases bus tickets. She said she was happy to learn fares won't increase this year, but at $2.60 a pop for an adult, the tickets still add up fast.

"I find the bus incredibly expensive and time consuming," she said. "And it's very difficult since my son is at a special school, he's got a lot of appointments I have to get to and such … it's really hard."

Police budget up, road repair down

Black said the $11-million hike in the police budget could be good news for her — depending on how it's spent. Her Manitoba Housing complex feels peaceful right now, she said, but she's observed problems with gang activity, crime and partying in the past.

Like Thomas, she hopes the money will be used to put more police officers on the streets.

Thomas said he's disappointed big, promised projects like the Arlington Bridge repair didn't make an appearance, for the sake of his commute.

But he's looking at the bright side in a drop in the road-repair budget to $86 million from $116 million in 2018.

"You might not see so much congestion traffic-wise. It might be a little better for, you know, commuting around the city maybe," he said, laughing.

"Just look at the positivity."