Mayor Greg Dionne. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Crunching the numbers

P.A. mayor aims to keep tax increase in check

Oct 18, 2019 | 5:22 PM

Mayor Greg Dionne said he will fight to lower the 4.9 per cent tax increase recommended by city administration in the proposed 2020 budget released this week.

“The cost of living is always a challenge,” he told paNOW. “I believe we have to do our part as a municipal government and keep our taxes low.”

Dionne said it may be hard to keep the tax increase near two per cent, as has been the case in recent budgets, but he will push to tighten the city’s belt where possible.

“I’ve been the two per cent guy since I’ve been on council. Of course this year we have more challenges with infrastructure and failing equipment, we have to upgrade some of our facilities. But at the end of the day, I do believe if it’s three or 3.5 – whatever – at least the public knows we worked hard to keep it low,” he said.

The 4.9 per cent figure put forward by city administration, represents admin’s “wish list” including new staffing and equipment according to Dionne. He said some of those items will have to be moved to next year’s budget.

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The mayor and councillors will go through the proposed budget line by line during deliberations in November. The mayor said he was not prepared to comment at this point which of the items in the proposed budget he wants to see cut.

“We do it as a council, and we’re going to huddle for two days and we’re going to go through the list and decide which we’re going to keep and which we’re going to move ahead,” he said.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom