Chatham-Kent is getting closer to a potential tax freeze.
The budget committee moved $540,000 from reserves to help bring the tax increase down to 1.34% from 1.73% at the start of the third day of budget talks Thursday night.
West Kent Councillor Bryon Fluker had his motion to draw $240,000 a year for ten years from the Community Investment Fund cut down to the current council term so future members didn't have their hands tied.
"That council at that time will still have the power to continue on if they want to carry on using the funds from that reserve, so I had absolutely no problem at all," says Fluker. "I think we'll certainly get below [a 1% tax increase] and you know there's going to be people that are still saying 0%, but I am not in favour of touching our infrastructure funding at all."
Wallaceburg Councillor Jeff Wesley is confident reserves are healthy enough to help hold the line on taxes. "There's 93 reserves, $112-million and you mean we can't find enough there and some other budget items to get down to 0%? Come on," says Wesley.
Budget talks resume Tuesday.