Like other municipalities, Kingsville faces higher costs, so taxpayers will likely face an increase in their property tax bill.
Councillors will start budget deliberations next Wednesday.
So far, the budget calls for a 3.5 per cent increase. Calculated with the county levy and the anticipated education levy, it comes out to another 2.4 per cent for property taxpayers or $62.39 for a home assessed at $250,000.
The spending plan includes $13-million for road improvements, $1.5-million for bridge replacements, and $1.1-million for parks and recreation projects.
Director of Financial Services Ryan McLeod said the budget holds the line on capital spending while addressing inflationary challenges on the operations side.
"According to Statistics Canada, the Consumer Price Index rose by 4.7 per cent from 2020 to 2021. The general rise in goods and services impacts a wide range of municipal operating expenditures, including labour, contracted services, materials, fuel and utilities," he explained. "While management strives to find efficiencies wherever possible, we cannot completely avoid the general increase in the cost of goods and services."
The town also intends to hire.
McLeod said Kingsville has the lowest combined property tax, water, and wastewater rates in the county, "by a significant amount."
Deliberations begin on January 12 but will continue on January 19 and 26 if needed.