The Niagara Region getting an early start on next year's budget talks.
Chair Alan Caslin says, during a meeting last night, staff recommended the 2018 budget increase be kept around 1.5 percent , plus a .5 percent hike for funding for the upcoming 2021 Canada Summer Games.
Caslin admits the increase will be a challenge particularly given the need for more affordable housing in Niagara.
He says affordable housing measures may require an extra one percent increase in spending, but council has asked staff to find that money within their existing budgets so that it doesn't have to be passed onto homeowners.