Concentrated Council

Nipissing Environmental Watch member Barb Bukowski holds a picture up during a presentation before North Bay city council approved its new pesticide control bylaw.
Council also passed its 2005 city budget. Photo by Bill Tremblay, Special to BayToday.ca.

North Bay council has approved a $91 million city budget for 2005, and it includes a 3.9 per cent tax increase over last year.

Council gave its blessing to the budget at Monday night's meeting.

Budget chief Peter Chirico said the overall tax levy was lowered by $2.8 million and was accomplished by reducing discretionary spending, new staff hiring freezes, deferring expenditures, identifying efficiencies and generating new revenue.

Chirico said the resulting levy will mean that a residential propery assessed at $100,000 in 2004 will see a
2005 tax increase of approximately $55. Final tax bills are expected to be mailed out in June.

Council, Chirico added, established a long-term tax policy that will promote fairness and equity in municipal taxes.

As well, Chirico said the goal for next year's budget will be to keep any increases in the two per cent range.
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North Bay council has passed a city-wide pesticide control bylaw.

The bylaw will be reviewed after one year.

A previous pesticide bylaw had only covered the Trout Lake watershed area.

BayToday.ca will have more on these and other stories later this morning.