Owen Sound ratepayers will see a property tax increase this year.
Owen Sound council has passed its 2016 budget. Overall spending is up about three per cent, but the increase for taxpayers will be 2.19 per cent when combined with the county and education levies. Councillors tacked on an extra one per cent to the Owen Sound budget for infrastructure projects.
Mayor Ian Boddy says that's necessary even though it adds to the increase.
"We would love it to be less but we need to put money aside for capital improvements and for infrastructure, that's pretty obvious when you look at our streets," said Boddy.
Capital expenses include 463 thousand dollars for electrical upgrades at Harrison Park and 275 thousand for asphalt resurfacing. Boddy says council does its best to keep the increase low.
"Our goal has been to keep that increase as low as possible to try and make us an attractive place to come and live."
In 2016 the average homeowner in Owen Sound will pay about 34 hundred dollars in property taxes. The total amount raised by Owen Sound through property taxes is 27.16 million dollars.