Taxes are going up in St. John’s after city council tabled its budget for 2024 on Tuesday.

The balanced $344-million budget will see the residential mil rate rise to 9.1 and the commercial rate go up to 29.5. The snow clearing budget is increasing by 25 per cent to buy new equipment and add 8.5 staff positions.

Construction continues on the new HGR Mews Centre set to open in the spring of 2025, along with facilities for the 2025 Canada Summer Games.

Another big increase this year is St. John’s Sports and Entertainment Ltd. with an increased budget of $577,136. Council’s financial lead Ron Ellsworth says the city’s entertainment sector is still recovering from the pandemic. In 2023 the budget for SJSE also increased by close to $1 million

Parking revenues are also seeing a big dip. Ellsworth says that’s in part due to increased Metrobus ridership and since the pandemic, so parking needs have changed.