The job of nailing down Niagara's budget continued last night with the Chair calling it a 'perfect storm'.
The Budget Committee spent last night looking for savings and ended up slashing 2% of proposed costs, bringing the regional tax levy down to an increase of 7% instead of 9%.
Regional Chair Jim Bradley started the meeting out by saying Niagara was facing a 'perfect storm' with inflation at sky-high levels, recovering from the pandemic, and the added cost of amalgamating transit in the region.
"We chose tonight between what's nice and what's needed."
After going through the proposed spending plan line-by-line, councillors were able to bring the increase down to 7.29%.
How much more will Niagara residents pay? It depends on where you live and the budget your town, city or township has passed.
Some municipalities have passed negative budgets, while others have passed budgets with increases.
For the most part, residents will see budget increases of 5-6%.
The budget will need to rubberstamped by Regional Council at their next meeting on Thursday.
Committee Chair and Fort Erie Wayne Redekop joined CKTB's Tim Denis this morning saying he expects the budget will pass, and then the work begins on next year's budget as they look to streamline regional services and ensure the region is running efficiently.