As in years past, the tax hike in the first draft of the new Yellowknife city budget is likely to shrink before all is said and done, according to one veteran councillor.

ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 a good thing for residential and commercial property owners, since that number is currently 13.44 per cent. That amount would add the equivalent of $40 per month to the tax bill of a home worth $650,000, according to a presentation posted to the citySA国际影视传媒檚 website. That tax bill would be $4,078 for the year.

For a commercial property assessed at $1.275 million, the same increase would add $175 per month or $2,000 per year to its $17,725 municipal tax bill.

SA国际影视传媒淲ow,SA国际影视传媒� Coun. Robin Williams said after the presentation, a broad smile on his face.

But Coun. Julian Morse is convinced that based on recent history, it wonSA国际影视传媒檛 be that much.

SA国际影视传媒淚n my six years so far I have not seen council go anywhere close to the kind of SA国际影视传媒榙raft budget tax raiseSA国际影视传媒�,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 always a bit jarring for citizens to see the proposed tax raise (but) itSA国际影视传媒檚 quite different from the number that weSA国际影视传媒檙e likely going to land on.SA国际影视传媒�

Sharolynn Woodward, the citySA国际影视传媒檚 director of corporate services said the draft budget represented a lot of hard work by a dedicated team, a challenge SA国际影视传媒渆ven greaterSA国际影视传媒� than the first pandemic budget, last year, because the Delta variant took hold in the NWT just as staff were sharpening their pencils this time around. So, they made SA国际影视传媒渧ery conservativeSA国际影视传媒� revenue projections, especially on those from user fees and programs at city facilities such as the Multiplex.

The city is experiencing SA国际影视传媒渘ext to noSA国际影视传媒� natural tax growth with just a 0.51-per-cent increase in the assessed value of properties in Yellowknife, feeling the pressure of inflation and making ends meet with what Woodward described as a $10 million-plus per year funding gap from the GNWT.

SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 still a long way to go to close this gap,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Atop the priority list in terms of adding staff to the citySA国际影视传媒檚 payroll in 2022 are four firefighter positions identified as a SA国际影视传媒渉igh prioritySA国际影视传媒� in the citySA国际影视传媒檚 2016 fire master plan and two maintenance positions in public works.

The proposed capital budget is bloated by the cost of either repairing the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool or replacing it, the subject of a Nov. 23 plebiscite on whether to borrow as much as $10 million for a new build.

The budget is expected to be approved on or about Dec. 13 with a week of SA国际影视传媒渂ig questionsSA国际影视传媒� from councillors during the week of Dec. 6, according to Mayor Rebecca Alty.

SA国际影视传媒淚t is big,SA国际影视传媒� she said of the proposed tax increase. SA国际影视传媒淚t will be a tough week and a tough month, I know, for the folks reviewing all this information.SA国际影视传媒�

The draft budget is posted to the citySA国际影视传媒檚 website. Council will discuss the budget next Dec. 6 at 5:30 p.m.