Owen Sound Council is getting down to the nitty gritty today as they try and carve out more savings from this years proposed budget.
As it now stands ratepayers would be looking at a tax hike of just over 6 per cent if no other cuts are made to the budget and according to Mayor Ruth Lovell Stanners that is just too high.
That figure came about after staff came back to Council with about 300 thousand dollars worth of savings.
However Mayor Lovell Stanners says to lower that proposed 6 per cent tax hike even further, more cuts are needed.
She says they will be going over the budget line by line to see where savings can be made to try and offset the impact the loss of 400 thousand dollars in Provincial funding.
Mayor Lovell Stanners says council already has gone to the Library, Tom Thompson Art Gallery and Police service asking them to come back with some savings, which they did.
She says every little bit will help to lower the tax rate, but admits at the end of the day when the budget is approved in February, there will be a tax hike for ratepayers, its just not known by how much.
The pre budget meetings begin at 10 this morning in the basement of the Owen Sound Library and Mayor Lovell Stanners says the meeting is open to the public
In fact she wants the public to attend and tell council where they feel some savings could be made.