It sounds high — but officials say it could be worse.
Residents in Kincardine are looking at a 7.15 per cent tax hike this year, following the completion of the 2010 budget.
On the average home assessed at 186 thousand dollars — that’s an extra 50 dollars on the tax bill.
However Mayor Larry Kraemer says the number is far lower than it could have been – as they began with a 24 per cent tax hike.
Kraemer says this year 373 thousand dollars in new spending goes towards the medical clinic expansion, and says if that’s factored out, it’s actually a negative budget.
He says that combined with other things like a loss in thousands of dollars in Ontario Municipal Partnership Funding lead to the increase.
Half a million dollars in road repair and some work at the Huron Ridge development are on hold until next year, but there were no services cut nor were layoffs made.
Major work included in the budget is the addition of the gymnasium to the Davidson Centre and the restoration of the Arts Centre.
The municipality is covering one third of each of those projects, the other is covered through government stimulus spending.
The 31.7 million dollar document is expected to pass in by-law form at the next council meeting, April 7th.