A marathon budget committee meeting yesterday at the region.

And when all is said and done it looks like we can expect a 2.1 percent increase on next year's tax bill.

At issue during the 10 and a half hour meeting, whether to take 1.8 million out of the capital budget and use it to help reduce property taxes.

Port Colborne Regional councillor David Barrick doesn't agree with yesterday's decision to keep that money in the capital plan.

He tells 610 CKTB's Tom McConnell they need to look at  spending on big ticket projects.

They need to prioritize projects to determine which ones are urgent and which aren't.

But he says councillors shy away from doing that because they know no matter what they do someone will be upset if for example, a project in St. Catharines gets the go ahead over a project in Welland.

Barrick notes that's why councillors need to put on their regional hats when considering which projects to fund.

So what are the big capital projects we need to fund?

The Burgoyne Bridge rebuild, the roundabout at Niagara Stone Road in the falls, an interchange at highway 406 and Third Avenue  and ironically, a new financial management system for the region.