At a long council session, Mississippi Mills council pored over the books for a final time before deciding on a property tax increase for 2025. Staff were able to find substantial savings in employee benefits, childcare expenses, and even policing costs via a lower increase than was expected. The meeting began with a proposed 7.7% tax hike meaning $180 more for a property provincially assessed at the town’s median of $338K. Council debated using a $237K of reserve funds to lower that increase to 5.5%. Mayor Christa Lowry cautioned them about depleting reserves in questionable times in order to produce a more palatable number.
Even though the difference between a 5.5% and 7.7% increase would mean less than $40 annually to taxpayers,Councilor Jane Torrance stated that moving to a lower jump still provided a balance.
In a 5-2 vote, with the Mayor voting against the motion, council approved a 5.5% tax hike for 2025. The increase will mean $146 more for a property assessed at $338K including police and County levees. The budget now goes to the Jan 28th council meeting for final approval.