The streak is over: Windsor ups property taxes by 1.73%

Windsor city council approved a property tax increase of 1.73per cent for 2017 after a marathon meeting that lasted 11 hours on Monday night.

The increase is less than city staff's recommended tax increase of 2.7 per cent.

Itcomes after both city administration and Mayor DrewDilkenssaid another tax increaseof zero would not be sustainable and would result in significant impacts to city services.

CouncillorsFredFrancis and Jo-AnneGignacvoted against the 1.73 per centproperty tax increase,though both admitteda zero increase would have been difficult.

A $10 million enhancedcapital budget was presented byDilkens.

It included$1 million for theWyandotteTown CentreBIA's'World Marketplace' proposal, and $1.2 million for reconstruction ofTranbyAvenue. Dilkens' capital budgetpassed at 1:30 a.m., with onlyCouncillorRinoBortolinvoting against it.

Adventure Bay didn't escape the microscope, with council spending close to half an hour on a single line item adding$50,000 to thewaterpark'sadvertising budget. The additional cash was eventually left in the budget, bringing total annual marketing costs for Adventure Bay to $200,000 in 2017.

A line adding $40,000 to the Fire & Rescue budget to pay for ice and inland water rescue was rejected. Fire chief BruceMontoneexplained to council that the additional funding was needed to cover specialty pay for firefighters responding to emergencies on ice or water.

Currently, Windsor firefighters can only rescue people from the shore and need to call neighbouring municipalities for assistance if a rescue involves water or ice. Council rejected the additionalfunding, after a debate that includedCouncillorJo-AnneGignacasking if drones could substitute for firefighters in those situations.