Residents in the Town of Lakeshore are looking at a 3.03% to their total tax bill in 2017.
That's assuming the County of Essex portion of the bill and the school board portion remain as predicted. In recent years, the tax levy at the county level was cancelled out by a decrease on the school board levy.
Mayor Tom Bain voted against the budget because he believes the county taxes will likely increase this year.
"If the county and if the school board come in higher, then that means that 3% is going to be higher, so I would have liked to see us with a bit more cushion in the 2% range," says Bain.
The Town of Lakeshore increase will mean about $72 more for the average home worth $200,000.
The increase includes a 1% allocation for an asset management plan.
"We're planning for the future so when there's items that we need to purchase, that money will be there," says Bain.
In addition, the town is looking to hire three more staff in the building department to help deal with the backlog in building inspections. Bain expects the demand to increase this year with three new subdivisions already approved.
