City council has approved the budget for 2025.

Councillors voted unanimously on Monday during their regular meeting to pass the document that was set last week with planned spending of $109,273,536. Councillors deliberated between Dec. 2 and 6 determining what to include and what to cut from the new budget. 

The property tax increase has been set at around six per cent along with user fees being waived for using the track and playground at the Fieldhouse, a move that will cost around $97,500. A city-run dog pound that would have cost about $500,000 was also scrapped from the final document.

The original property tax hike was set at around eight per cent, but thanks to roughly $600,000 coming from a carbon tax grant from the GNWT - one that wasn't factored into the city's budget originally - brought that number down.

Other items dropped from the 2025 document include $288,000 to hire two new bylaw officers, $111,000 in terms of the adjustments made to casual staffing hours, $137,000 for a new booking supervisor and $6,500 in increases for dog pound fees. A proposed $310,000 to refurbish the city's tennis courts was pushed back to 2026.

Some of the items added to the budget include $10,000 to create bike lanes on Forrest Drive, $45,000 for upgrades at the dog park behind the Yk Community Arena, $25,000 for growth implementation and $60,000 to increase dog pound services.

Nobody spoke about the budget before it was passed, but Coun. Ryan Fequet did take a moment to speak about Folk on the Rocks' request for loan forgiveness.

In 2018, the city loaned the festival $200,000 to renovate its main stage and has since been paying that money back. In November, Folk on the Rocks announced it would like to repurpose its remaining debt of $60,000 and put the money towards renovating its beer garden.

The festival's request was not approved, but Fequet did encourage Folk on the Rocks to continue to work with the city directly. 

Other items approved during council's most recent meeting include expanding the city's outreach program with more than $250,000 in federal funding and a motion directed at the federal government to choose Yellowknife as a centre for enhanced security and military capability.