Mar 2010

Property taxes are set to go up in Portage la Prairie by 7.5 per cent.

City of Portage la Prairie council introduced the increase along with its Discretionary, Capital and New/Additional Services 2010 Budget at its regular meeting Monday.

Along with the tax increase, the city cut the position of Manager of Tourism and Special Projects effective Monday.

The budget also provides money to close the portion of Second Street N.E. between Saskatchewan Avenue N.E. and Prince Avenue to vehicle traffic to help promote the main entrance to the William Glesby Centre.

It also promised to spend money to get the city’s operations department up to date and increase in the Portage and District Library’s annual grant by $15,000.

Coun. Dave Quinn, chair of the city’s finance, legislative and property committee, said in his 2010 budget speech that this was easily the most difficult budget he’s worked on in 18 years of municipal politics in Portage, 12 of those spent as the city’s finance chair.

“I am pleased to say that, even though this was probably the hardest budget process I have been through both as a member of the budget committee and its chair, I believe we did the right thing for this city,” he told council during his speech.
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