THUNDER BAY – CIVIC POLITICS – Thunder Bay City Council appears to be preparing residents for a tough budget year in 2014. Mayor Keith Hobbs expressed at Council tonight that “2015 is going to be a very tough budget year”. Hobbs was responding to a deputation from residents in Northwood who were before Council to remind Councillors of the importance of dealing with infrastructure in Northwood following flooding in the ward.
Westfort Councillor Virdiramo expressed during the same deputation that if the Council were to move on all the proposed plans that would present a need for a $4 million increase in taxes. That would be, according to Administration a 2.5% increase required to pay for that work. Councillor Virdiramo said that we could be then looking at a tax increase as high as 7%.
Thunder Bay is being faced with building a fiscal budget for 2015 that many believe will require a combination of service cuts and tax increases to maintain current levels of service.
Thunder Bay Council is heading into the process to prepare the 2015 budget. That several Councillors and the Mayor are focusing on the budget already suggests that the issue is going to be very serious this year.
