Belleville council received a little information on the proposed 2024 operating budget Monday.
Mayor Neil Ellis, in consultation with staff and the public, created the budget.
As it stands, there would be a 4.92% tax increase for homeowners in urban Belleville, while taxpayers in rural Belleville would see an increase of 3%. A 4.8% increase is proposed for urban Cannifton and taxes would go up 3.92% in rural Cannifton.
In dollar terms, taxes would increase between $100 and $215 for a house assessed at $250,000. Residential properties are still being assessed at 2016 values.
City Treasurer Brandon Ferguson said input from the public (450 responses from an online survey, still ongoing) showed five priorities. They were, in order of importance: doctor recruitment, policing, building planning and development, social housing, and economic development.
In the 2023 operating budget, taxes increased by between 3% and 3.5%.
Council will discuss the budget in detail in meetings February 27 and 28. Councillors suggested that council “pack lunches” for those discussions.
See the entire budget overview here.
