Barrie Councillors Give Tentative Approval To 3.08% Budget Increase
Could add $118 to average tax bill this year
They started at 3.75 per cent, and whittled it down to 3.08. Monday night’s council meeting was all about this year’s budget. When the process began a few months ago, city staff were given the goal of a 3.25 per cent overall tax increase. Over the course of the evening, through a series of amendments, council cut over $2.5 million from the proposed budget. One of the biggest cuts was a contribution to the city’s newly created amortization fund, money set aside for future repairs, $750,000 was cut by spreading contributions over a few years, instead of a lump sum this year. How much the city sends to both the Barrie Police Service and the County of Simcoe was trimmed by $100,000 each, along with smaller additional cuts across the board. Further cuts are expected as the final approval looms at next week’s meeting.
