Chatham-Kent residents will have to dig a little deeper.
On Thursday, Chatham-Kent council approved the municipality's 2024 budget which calls for a 5.53 per cent tax increase.
According to the municipality, the increase works out to an additional $185 on a home assessed at $176,200.
Chatham-Kent says the budget includes significant increases in police services and municipal infrastructure.
For police services, the increase will allow the police service to add 43 new staff members over the next four years, bringing the municipality closer to the provincial average of officers per person.
There are also increases in affordable housing, increased service levels for libraries, splash pads, and sustainable investments in municipal services.
Mayor Darrin Canniff says the budget includes "no service cuts and features much needed additions to the police force and infrastructure, which will put more police officers on the streets, help maintain and improve our extensive infrastructure, and help address the need for affordable housing in our community."
He adds municipalities across Ontario are battling inflation, and Chatham-Kent is no different, stating "the municipality passed a budget at 5.53 per cent, despite 4.0 percent of that being inflationary costs."
Before passing the budget, Chatham-Kent hosted two online community consultations and three budget deliberation meetings with council and administration.
It was the first time Chatham-Kent council passed a multi-year municipal budget.