They started off with a targeted budget increase of over five percent, but South Bruce Council has managed to bring it down to 4.9.
Mayor Bill Goetz says it took a while to get the increase down and the challenge came from cost increases they cannot control, like the OPP and Saugeen Conservation levy.
The conservation and policing budgets are both up nine percent.
25 thousand dollars from reserves is being put towards policing costs.
Goetz says it’s meant to “soften the blow,” and hopes to also receive a substantial credit from the OPP for last year’s budget.
Treasurer Kendra Reinhart says because council achieved an increase below their target, the tax rate for this year will go down.
She says the effect that will have on individual property taxes will vary because of re-assessment that took place last year.
Goetz — who is also the Warden of Bruce County — says he recently met with local MPP Bill Murdoch and made it clear that policing and conservation authorities should be funded with provincial dollars, and not by local taxpayers.
Goetz says less bridge and road work will be done, but he’s concerned not doing enough will eventually catch up when more work is needed down the road.
Teeswater and Mildmay residents will not see a change in waterworks rates this year, but taxpayers across the municipality will be paying 50 cents more for garbage bag tags.
Council has also decided to give five thousand dollars each towards doctor recruitment in Mildmay and Teeswater, instead of 10 thousand dollars each.
Council believes each community already has a significant amount of money set aside for efforts to bring in more doctors.
Councillor Jason Rogers is pleased with the result of the budget process and says “we did phenomenal.”
The South Bruce Budget for 2009 contains over 1.4 million dollars in spending for operations, and over 834 thousand dollars in capital projects.
The final draft of the budget will go before council at the first meeting in April.