Utility rates to increase; property taxes to be decided
North Battleford residents will see their utilities increase by 4.5 per cent, but property tax increases have yet to be decided.
City administration proposed either a 4.23 per cent increase or a 4.5 increase in utility rates to council. Mayor Ryan Bater said council decided on the latter because utilities are in a position to “pay for themselves.”
“The utilities the city operates is not a line of business that is paid for through taxation. It is paid for through customers. We wanted the utility rates to accurately reflect the cost of utilities, so that’s the rational,” he said.
Council felt more time and research was needed before officially giving the 2018 budget its stamp of approval. According to Bater, council requested more information from administration, specifically on third party grants and other revenue streams.