Hamilton’s new Ward 8 councillor says top priority is tying tax hikes to costs of living

The new Ward 8 councillor in Hamilton says property tax increases in the city may result in some homeowners becoming homeless.

Rob Cooper says tying tax hikes to the cost of living is one of his top priorities as he joins city council.

“We may have a new type of homelessness related to these tax increases,” said Cooper.

Hamilton’s newest municipal politician says next year’s property tax increase — which city staff have pegged at between 8.9 per cent and 6.6 per cent — will be unaffordable for many.

“There’s people, a lot of people in Hamilton on fixed incomes. They only get inflationary increases,” said Cooper. “When you start talking nine per cent, that’s just out of the stratosphere.”

In his first interview with CHCH News since his election win Monday, Cooper says he wants to get that number lower.

“Looking to cap the tax increase to the rate of inflation,” said Cooper.

A challenging goal given the inflation rate sat at 1.9 per cent in August according to Statistics Canada.

A staff report presented to the General Issues Committee two weeks ago, says to get next year’s property tax increase down to 2.5 per cent, the city would need to chop more than $83 million from the city budget, which suggests program or staffing cuts would likely be needed.

To get taxes down, Cooper says the city’s approach to budgeting needs to change.

“We have a model where we tend to spend and then figure out a way to collect that revenue,” said Cooper. “What if we change that approach and said, ‘you know what, here’s how much revenue we have, and how might we make this work?'”

Taxation was one of Cooper’s top issues, along with repairing Hamilton’s bumpy roads and addressing violent crime.

The accountant and corporate professional, edged out former Hamilton City Councilor Terry Whitehead, winning Monday’s Ward 8 by-election by just 87 votes.

Cooper thinks voters chose him because they are looking for a change on council.

“I think the one piece we need to focus on is diversity of thought,” said Cooper, “and that’s what I think people are looking for: a different approach.”

Cooper was born and raised in Hamilton and has called Ward 8 home for 22 years, working for companies like McMaster University, Stelco, and Ernst and Young.

He joins council with just over a year to go until Hamilton’s next municipal election.

WATCH MORE: Hamilton Ward 8 votes in new city councillor after tight byelection race