Windsor City Council will discuss how your tax money is spent in 2018.
Mayor Drew Dilkens and city council will begin two days of budget deliberations Monday with the hope of approving its spending plan in the new year.
The proposed budget plan consists of less than $403-million in the municipal operations budget, a 1.4% increase in spending from 2017. This percentage translates into an additional $5.56-million for requirements related to city departments.
Among the agencies, boards and committees covered by this budget proposal, the Windsor Police Service has requested a 2.4% increase in funding from 2017, for an additional $1.9-million. The Windsor Essex County Health Unit is asking for almost $115,000 more than last year.
Though a 1.4% property tax increase is recommended, City council has issued a request that the proposed budget contains options for holding the line in certain departments or making cuts to offset the budget increase.
Council approved the 2017 budget with a 1.73% property tax increase, the first since 2008, though returns from the province of Ontario on an education levy reduced that increase to 1.5%.
The public is invited to sit in on the proceedings beginning at 1pm at city council chambers at Windsor City Hall when delegations will start presenting their views on the budget to council. Deliberations begin right after.
If there is no approval by Monday evening, talks will resume at 1pm Tuesday and progress until a budget is approved.
