Property taxes are expected to rise slightly in the Town of the Blue Mountains.
When blended with the Grey County and school board levies, the hike is 1.28 per cent.
The actual town increase is 5.43 per cent in 2015, but with a County decrease of two per cent and no change from the school board, ratepayers will likely see a moderate increase.
Mayor, John McKean, tells Bayshore Broadcasting News residents will have the opportunity to comment on the draft document on March 23rd at 7 PM.
He says the municipality is undertaking a variety of projects in 2015, and the list includes a $500,000 upgrade to the 33rd Sideroad to benefit the apple industry.
Another $64,000 will be spent to hire a new manager of engineering and $48,000 will go towards the salary of a certified engineering technologist.
Retrofitting streetlights with LEDs will also cost Blue Mountains Council $362,000.
According to McKean, water and sewer rates remain untouched this year.
He’s hopeful property owners will be pleased with Council’s work on the budget and the negligible impact it’ll have on the average homeowner’s tax bill.
In addition, McKean says Council hasn’t yet decided what to do with a one-time payment from a Grey County reserve fund, totalling $729,000.
That issue will be discussed at the March 23rd public meeting.
Nothing has been finalized, and specific projects/initiatives could still be removed.