Stephanie Stretch

City/Township Council · Kitchener Ward 10

All topics Housing Getting Around Climate Food Growth & Planning Budget & Taxes

This candidate finalized their responses after this guide and scoring methodology was published.

Budget & Taxes

Do you think the Region's or municipality's budget process should be more transparent and accessible to residents?single choice

It should be more transparent and accessible

Municipal and regional costs have generally risen faster than revenues restricted by property tax rules and limited local revenue tools. How would you balance tax increases against maintaining service levels and long-term financial sustainability?select up to 3 per part

A. Revenue approaches

Moderate, predictable tax increases to maintain service levels
Actively pursue provincial and federal transfer funding and grants
Look first for efficiencies and better service-delivery models before creating new taxes
levies or fees.

D. Growth & cost recovery

Ensure new development pays a greater share of long-term infrastructure costs
Re-evaluate development incentives or subsidies that create long-term liabilities

B. Service levels

Adjust service delivery models to reduce costs without reducing access
Protect essential municipal services and evaluate programs based on demonstrated community benefit.

C. Capital & infrastructure

Prioritize maintenance and state-of-good-repair over expansion
Require lifecycle cost analysis before approving any new infrastructure
Defer or cancel capital projects with low long-term return on investment

Please describe one concrete example of a trade-off you would support (or oppose) when costs rise faster than revenues.candidate's own words

When costs rise faster than revenues, I would protect core services and maintaining the infrastructure we already own before adding lower-priority projects. The 2026 budget is an example of the balance I am looking for: Kitchener held the City property-tax increase to 2.2%, approximately $29 for the average household, while maintaining core services and continuing necessary infrastructure investment.

Would you like to provide any additional context for your views on budgets?candidate's own words

Fiscal responsibility is not simply about spending less. It is about getting good value for public dollars, protecting essential services, maintaining the assets we already own and avoiding decisions today that create unnecessarily large costs in the future.

If you chose "It should be more transparent and accessible", please describe how.candidate's own words

There is always more work to do to help make budgets more transparent, accessible and digestible. It is complex work that needs to be translated into very concise and clear understanding. I would like residents to be able to understand more easily what services cost, where their property-tax dollars go, how large capital investments affect future budgets, and what results those investments produce. This is particularly important in a two-tier system. Residents should be able to see clearly which services and taxes belong to Kitchener, which belong to the Region, and who is accountable for each decision.