North Bay City Council to vote on tax increase, 3.23% possible
City council in North Bay is closer to ironing out a final budget for 2023 and it looks as if it will mean a 3.2 per cent tax hike for property owners.
North Bay's operating budget for this year is more than $153 million and the city’s budget chief, Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield, said all efforts were made to avoid a big tax hike.
"When we were looking at the budget and going line by line, what we were seeing was a lot of the costs where the city was putting in an increase were areas we really couldn't say 'no,'" Horsfield said.
"Fuel costs, we need our trucks on the street, we need our snowplows out there and asphalt for the roads. Those are things we can’t go without."
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
At the beginning of the deliberations in February, city staff recommended the proposed levy increase be at 5.77 per cent compared to last year.
However, the city will use almost $890,000 from its reserves to bring the tax levy down as past councils have also used reserves this way.
"It's been something that they've done since 2008, dipping into reserves to help lower the levy," Horsfield said.
But she admits this strategy is not always sustainable.
"It's not a sustainable practice because at some point those reserves are going to dry up," Horsfield said.
After crunching the numbers, it's estimated that North Bay's taxpayers will see a 3.23 per cent increase on their bills. That’s about $47.35 more a year on a home assessed at $100,000.
City Councillor Gary Gardiner was hoping the tax levy increase would be lower. He said he was hoping it would end somewhere around 3 per cent range, citing the effects inflation has had on people.
"Based on the rapid inflation that we have, homeowners are trying to figure out how to make ends meet," Gardiner said.
"That would have been a good target."
Horsfield said she understands the concerns expressed from many people who are struggling with the price of gas, food and other inflated expenses.
"It’s really fair that folks want to see their taxes as low as possible," she said.
"If we want to look at those changes, it will come when the city reviews their collective bargaining as well as our administrative pay bylaws."
City council will vote next Tuesday night on whether or not it will approve both the operating and capital budget.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.