Saugeen Shores council is edging closer to a final budget for 2016.
Councillors spent four hours Wednesday making changes on both the capital and operating side of the budget, but did not reach a final consensus.
Deputy Treasurer Sue Dent says they currently sit at a tax levy increase of 4.76-percent if you blend the municipal tax levy with the county and education levies, which would mean the average Saugeen Shores tax bill would increase by $140 this year.
Mayor Mike Smith says that's not something he can live with, adding he understands councillors are eager to tackle projects, but with government grants seemingly unavailable, council should be careful about how much extra they take from taxpayers.
"There's a lot of new money in there, and I know they want get a lot of things done but I think we have to be very careful about how we go to the taxpayer for all of those things," says Smith.
Smith was able to capture enough support around the council table to approve a motion to use the tax stabilization fund to lower the municipal portion of the tax levy by an additional one-percent when the budget comes back to the table next month.
