2019 budget deliberations are getting underway in the town of LaSalle.
Council will be meeting Thursday and Friday to debate the proposed budget which includes a 0% tax increase.
Mayor Marc Bondy says he campaigned to hold the line on taxes and is pleased with administration's recommendation.
"Based on what administration put forward, we had a few conversations prior and I said if we can go zero, let's do zero," says Bondy. "I campaigned for a 0% increase in my campaign and they came and said look we're recommending zero and based on council after we vote on this, it looks like it should go through."
LaSalle Mayor Marc Bondy attends Essex County Council on Wednesday December 19. 2018. (Photo by AM800's Gord Bacon)
He says council can still make adjustments to the budget document.
"We don't know the final number from {Essex} county and education but based on what we know, we should be zero or slightly below," says Bondy.
But he says there will not be cuts to services.
"We will not sacrifice services," says Bondy. "The zero mill rate increase, we're still going to have new development increase and there's going to be MPAC {Municipal Property Assessment Corportation} assessment increase on top of that so there's still revenue generation into the budget, it's just we're not changing the mill rate."
In 2018, LaSalle council approved a 1% tax hike after administration originally recommended a 1.75% increase.