Niagara Regional Council has approved it's Levy Operating Budget for 2020.
But Gary Zalepa, the Chair of the Budget Review Committee, says it does come with a tax hike for Niagara homeowners.
"The average homeowner is going to look at about an $80 increase in their taxes next year, based on an average assessment of about $240,000. So depending on where you live in Niagara and what your assessment is, your taxes will go up proportionally to that range."
Zalepa says raising taxes is always a difficult decision, but the money will be put to good use.
"Investing in our infrastructure has been a major struggle for us, but I believe by this budget we've actually now put in place adequate funding to ensure that we're properly putting enough funds into our infrastructure."
Zalepa says the budget also includes strong investments for affordable housing and homelessness.
Council decided to make two changes to the budget before giving their final approval last night.
They decided to take $450,000 out of the tax payer relief levy reserve and any funding they had left in the 2019 SNIP funds, and put it towards the 2020 SNIP program.
That money will help municipalities make investments for projects that fall under the SNIP criteria, as well as affordable and subsidized housing initiatives.
Council also decided to add another $250,000 to the budget for the ProKids program. That investment will be funded through the levy.
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