The proposed 2023 budget for the Town of Creston includes a 4.42 per cent tax hike.
The figure was laid out in the five-year financial plan released during a committee of the whole meeting yesterday along, with a budget change analysis, information regarding the general fund, water fund, sewer fund, and more.
Mayor Arnold DeBoon says they worked hard to keep what they could control low.
“We don’t have power over all the property tax, we have power over the part that pertains to service delivery in the town of Creston. And so the percentage that will increase is 4.42 per cent, that includes policing, which again, we don’t have power over.”
He says the increase is in line with inflation
“It all has to do with our service delivery,” explained DeBoon.
“One of the bigger parts of our tax increase will be we had to negotiate wages this year with our town staff and there was an increase. And so with the inflationary factor, cost of living is basically the largest part of our increase.”
However, he says the town worked hard to keep things low when compared to other municipalities.
“We also do a comparison, and our tax increase is actually probably at the low end of the pack and we see increases in some areas of up to 17.5 per cent with a low of 2.5 per cent. So there’s quite a variation, but ours tends to be more towards the low end.”
The financial plan bylaw will be brought to the March 21 council meeting for presentation to the public and council and for the first three readings.