Altona residents should expect to see a higher municipal tax bill this year. Town council has approved a $9.2 million operating budget for 2017, which represents a $1.4 million increase in spending over 2016.

This year's financial plan is being propped up by $4.6 million in revenue generated through the Municipal Tax Levy, another $3 million will come from other sources such as government grants, etc, and the town will use $1.59 million from its reserve funds.

Much of the increase is being driven by two major capital works projects the town is financing. One of those projects is the waste water treatment facility which will move into the phase 3 portion of construction this year. That final phase comes with a price tag of $5.8 million of which about 3.4 million is being funded through the Building Canada Fund, 550,000 through the Manitoba Water Services Board, and the town will pick up the remaining $2 million.

A second major project that town council needs to address is the Altona/Rhineland landfill facility. The local garbage dump has reached its maximum capacity and will need to be expanded into a Class 1 facility in order to meet provincial regulations. That project will cost $1.4 million to build.

Other projects include the town's annual street renewal program which will focus on 2nd Street NW, Ash Street and Poplar Drive in 2017.

And as most residents are well aware, the cost of living continues to rise and the town is no exception. Council has increased its overall operations budget by $400,000 in order to deal with the increasing maintenance costs associated with snow removal, infrastructure repairs and general operations of local parks, the Millennium Exhibition Centre and the Aquatic Centre.

So, what does all of this mean for local property owners?

The mill rate will increase 2.69 per cent to 20.62 mills, which means a home assessed at $200,000 will see a municipal tax increase of $52.00 for 2017.

"I feel we have again adopted a needs vs wants budget," said Tim Fast, chair of the town's finance committee. "As a council, we feel that our roads, parks, water and sewer system and other infrastructure are the envy of many in the region ... and we want to ensure that our children and grandchildren inherit a community they can be proud of."