After getting 2026 and 2027 property taxes down to 6.17 and 5.39 per cent through a tedious and lengthy process of cuts and fee increases, City Council has brought those figures back up to 6.7 and 5.81 after revisiting a list of projects. These will be the final numbers to come out of deliberations. These percentages equate to an additional $13.18 per month for the median assessed household, and $12.20 per month in 2027.  

Some examples of these last-minute additions include establishing a team of eight police officers and fire community support personnel to maintain safety on City buses. This was approved and will add $600,000 to the mill rate in 2026 and $1 million in 2027. 

Council also agreed to fund part of Saskatoon’s Affordable Housing Plan for an additional $175,000 in both 2026 and 2027. About 319 housing units would come out of this project. The Homelessness Response Program was also approved, adding in operational spending $297,200 in 2026. 

For $250,000, the Riverbank Washroom at North Kiwanis Park will receive continuous monitoring in 2026, and the Saskatoon Fire Department will be getting several new dispatchers with an investment of $105,000 in 2026 $113,600 in 2027. 

In other new positions, the Saskatoon Zoo will receive one additional zookeeper FTE for $85,700 in 2027.  

Some of the more polarizing votes that were relatively split down the middle included the approval of a Truth and Reconciliation Coordinator for $37,800 in 2027, the defeat of enhanced snow removal on neighborhood bikeways for $85,000 in 2026, and the defeat of snow and ice service level enhancement options for local streets for $750,000.  

At the end of the fourth day of deliberations, the budget was approved with a vote of 9-2. Councilors Robert Pearce and Bev Dubois opposed the budget, saying they would have liked to see that final figure come down closer to 6 per cent, at least.