The City of Ottawa's draft budget calls for a four per cent hike to your property taxes.
The proposed increase means the average urban homeowner will pay an additional $142 on their tax bill; a rural homeowner will pay about $132 more than last year. In addition to higher taxes, user fees for OC Transpo and recreation facilities will also go up.
The draft budget includes proposed cuts to OC Transpo bus routes, as well as eliminating Crime Prevention Ottawa, a $500,000-program that aims to spread awareness and education about crime.
However, not everyone agrees with those cuts.
"They're going to be sacrificing a half a million riders; they're going to be losing 47 routes, that's going to affect every single community in the city. That's very short-sighted," said Coun. Alex Cullen.
Supporters of Ottawa Crime Prevention say the program is a model for other cities across the globe. However, the mayor -- who sits on the organization's board of directors -- says he's not opposed to cutting it.
"When the finance committee looked at it, we said crime rates are falling. We said things are moving in the right direction," said Mayor Larry O'Brien.
While O'Brien backs the decision to cut the program, he maintains that crime and policing the streets are essential: "The most important responsibility for municipal council is the safety and the security of its citizens," he said.
Meanwhile, Ottawa police are hoping council will approve $250 million for next year's police operating budget -- a figure that has doubled in the last 10 years.
"We need to stay ahead of the game. We feel the crime rate has dropped because we've addressed those quality of life issues," said Deputy Police Chief Gilles Larochelle.
Public hearings on the budget are set to begin Thursday night. A final decision on the budget will be made in January.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Catherine Lathem
