LaSalle Council has approved the town's 2022 budget and it includes a 1.75 per cent property tax increase.
The increase means an average home valued at $256,000 (using MPAC's 2016 property assessment) in LaSalle would see an increase of approximately $44.12 on their municipal property taxes.
The $40.1-million budget, approved in principle, is up $1.7-million over the 2021 budget.
Mayor Marc Bondy says the increase includes $514,000 for policing costs which includes hiring two new constables.
"If we took that off we'd be under 1%, but it's time. We haven't had a compliment since, I think it's 1989. Being the third safest municipality in Canada, that's a pretty high designation, and we want to keep that."
He says the town is dealing with nearly $950,000 in inflationary costs.
"I think everybody is well aware of that 4.7% increase in inflation up to November. So I think it's a reasonable budget. We're not putting off on anyone else. We're attacking the issues we have to deal with today."
Bondy says they're bringing some services in-house to further cut costs.
"We want to make sure we're maintaining our roads. We put budget for a road sweeper so we don't have to sub that out to subcontractors. So we're trying to do more and more in house so we can do it when we want it as opposed to order it and wait for it to come in. So it's very responsible."
The 2022 budget will be presented at a regular council meeting in January for final approval.
— with files from AM800's Zander Broeckel