The Municipality of Kincardine will raise its fees and charges 1.7 per cent next year, in line with the increase of the Consumer Price Index.
Council received a report from staff this week, outlining the projected changes for 2026.
Councillor Bill Stewart said they should examine larger increases down the line.
"I know that we're increasing on average 1.7 per cent. The problem is we're falling behind compared to our tax increases and sooner or later this is going to catch up with us," he said. "What I'm finding, especially when we talk about the Davidson Centre, our costs are this and our revenue's this, and the gap is starting to grow every year."
While some recreation fees did increase in line with the 1.7 per cent, the Municipality dropped fees for the babysitting and home alone courses 18 per cent to reflect market rates.
Councillor Mike Hincherger noted there was a big increase in an area of interest to all.
"In this large document, probably one of the most significant things to many ratepayers would be the water rates and the wastewater rates," he said. "The water rates up by four per cent in 2026 and the waste water rates up by 10.25 per cent, so there will be a little sticker shock there."
Staff wrote that the increased revenue for sewer and water is required to fully fund the lifecycle costs of the underlying infrastructure.
They also recommended adding a 33 per cent increase for residences that have an Additional Residential Unit.
You can see a full list of the changes to Municipality's fees and charges here.
