Lakeshore council has settled on a 2.4% tax increase for 2022.
Mayor Tom Bain says council started a 2.64%, but was able to whittle that down over two budget sessions with the elimination of several new positions and workforce development initiatives.
On the flip side, council increased funding for gravel roads conversion and road resurfacing to the tune of $1.7-million while also putting $350,000 into a roads reserve.
Bain says it's a fair budget considering the ongoing COVID-19 and inflation pressures plaguing all municipalities.
"There certainly has been extra pressure on all of the council members from the residents to keep that tax increase down. Times are difficult. We have a number of people who are presently laid off their jobs or are totally unemployed."
He says this year's deliberations were not easy.
"It wasn't easy and there were requests to add staff in a couple positions and considering the times we're in with his COVID, council decided it was going to hold off on a couple of those positions and look at them next year."
Bain says councillors opted to put a freeze on council training saving taxpayers about $32,000.
"Certainly, council looked at their own budget and saw that heading off to some of these council conferences and to some of the training sessions was something that for a year we could hold off and that was another way of reducing the overall tax amount."
The 2.4% tax hike amounts to roughly $35 on a home assessed at $270,000 making it the lowest tax rate in the region.
Council will adopt the finalized budget at its February 1 meeting.
— with files from AM800's Rob Hindi