Grey County has approved its 2012 budget — and it includes an increase of 2.49 per cent on the County portion of your tax bill.
Council was looking at a hike of 5.5 per cent — but the department heads revised their figures and managed to whittle down that number.
The budget funds a number of new initiatives — like a hike in Ontario Works staffing, reflecting ongoing caseload increases.
Other initiatives will include a transportation master plan, funding for a Grey Bruce Economic Development Action Plan, the creation of new positions in housing and long-term care, and a certification program for the county’s forests.
The county has also set aside 1.35 million dollars for future capital funding, intended to replace current infrastructure.
Warden Duncan McKinlay and Director of Finance Kevin Weppler both say it’s a responsible budget.
It’s a better performance over last year, when the increase was 2.93 per cent.
The County must raise just over 50 million dollars through taxation — 41 million for the operating budget and 9 million for the capital budget.
That’s up from 48.2 million dollars in 2011 — an increase of just less than 1.8 million.
