“They worked hard,” said Mayor Robert Kirby, during an earlier phone interview, regarding all the preparation and revisions municipal staff did on the draft budget and the final version that council approved during a November 22 special session.

Final approval of the budget will took place during council’s last session of the year December 13. The actual tax rates for the different property classes will be presented in January for council to review and approve before the spring mail-out of tax notices to all landowners.

The 2022 municipal budget is $5,949,470, including the municipal property tax levy of $2,392,611. The final budget means a three-per-cent increase in taxes.

For a residential property valued at $100,000, this means an increase of $14.29 in property taxes owed. Property tax increases for other properties will vary depending on their evaluation.

Mayor Kirby noted that council had hoped to limit the tax increase to two per cent as was done for the 2021 budget. But he said some unexpected expenses, like repairs to one of the municipal fire trucks and purchase of a new rescue vehicle, required a three-per-cent tax increase to achieve a balanced budget for the municipality in 2022.

Council also approved a 3.9-per-cent increase for municipal garbage collection. The new annual rate will be $170.73 per household. The recycling rate will remain $58.03 per household.