As promised, Tecumseh Town Council has shaved down a 4.25 per cent increase in its 2022 budget to 2.95 per cent.
Last week, Mayor Gary McNamara said despite increased costs across the board, "we're going to roll up our sleeves and make it more manageable."
The increase will still mean another $76 annually for a home assessed at $250,000.
The budget hinges on a return to normal operations after almost two years of interruptions and the first phase of an organizational review of town operations.
"This status quo budget allows us to refocus our energy and resources on enhancing our services," said McNamara. "The Town has weathered almost two years of COVID-19 in good financial shape."
A week ago, McNamara explained the increase by saying the cost of "everything has gone up." That included fuel, construction, even paper. At the same time, revenues had fallen during the pandemic as recreational facilities shuttered during lockdowns.
However, Tecumseh's assessment also grew by $250,000 last year as development boomed. Without the increase, town councillors would have had to increase the tax level by another one percent to cover spending in 2022.
It did receive provincial and federal funding to soften some of the financial blow, but it did not meet the total requirement.
The residential tax levy only accounts for 54 per cent of the typical residential bill. Education and county tax levies make up the rest.
Windsor City Council will deliberate its budget later this fall. Leamington has scheduled December 8 to go over its spending, and Amherstburg has delayed budget deliberations until January because of recent administrative staff turnover.
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