Council has approved an increase to the City of Windsor's Asset Management Plan levy to fund residential road rehabilitation.
The annual 0.25 per cent tax increase on the current 1.16 percent AMP levy was approved by council Monday at the start of deliberations on the 2023 budget.
Only Ward 1 councillor Fred Francis opposed to the motion introduced by Ward 6 councillor Jo-Anne Gignac.
Francis has spoken out against any increase to the Asset Management Plan levy, proposing to suspend the tax for one-year as a way to reduce Windsor's proposed tax rate and instead reprioritize the Capital Budget as a way to offset any proposed property tax increase.
"I don't believe we need to implement a new tax. In 2019 I said them same thing or 2018 when AMP was implemented. Few short years we've collected $104-million with asset management and we're still complaining the roads aren't fixed," he says.
Gignac says the increase she's requesting is the result of watching the deterioration of residential roads across the city.
"I've got residential roads in Riverside that have not been touched in 75 years," she says. "Residents are getting a little frustrated, in terms of saying to me, 'when are we doing this?'"
The Asset Management Plan results in money being set aside every year to make sure there are funds to maintain buildings and infrastructure.
Ward 7 councillor Angelo Marignani voted in favour of the increase saying he believes the roads are what they are truly responsible for.
"Our roads are unfortunately very deficient, so anything we can do to improve those roads, not just for the residents but visitors alike," he says. "When I go to a new city, I drive and when I drive in that city, if the roads are bad, my immediate conclusion is that this city is not so good."
The Asset Management Plant tax increase will begin in 2023 and is scheduled to end in 2026.
Administration has also been asked to prepare a report outlining strategies for local road rehabilitation selection and prioritization.