Tuesday is budget day at Sarnia City Hall. City councillors are looking to reduce a proposed 5.5 per cent increase in the municipal portion of the property tax bill in 2016. The city's finance director is suggesting, but not necessarily recommending, various cost-cutting options.
They include eliminating leaf and yard waste pick up, staggering the planned hiring of two additional information technology employees, cutting the 10:45pm Sarnia transit trip, as well as increasing parking rates and transit cash fares. The initial $133-million draft budget called for an increase of nearly 8 per cent, but since its release, the proposed hike has been reduced to about 5.5 per cent due to some funding increases and savings being identified. Council's budget meeting was set to begin at 9am Tuesday.