Full Podcast: https://lovethenorth.ca/article/260910-sudbury-ward-eric-benoit-on Ward 2 Councillor Eric Benoit says nobody likes seeing property taxes go up, but the challenge for Council is separating the costs it can control from the ones it cannot. Benoit says his benchmark has been inflation. If the overall cost of goods and services is rising by 3%, for example, his goal is to keep the municipal tax increase below that level whenever possible. He says Council has been able to make changes, restructure spending and control some internal costs. But other major expenses are much harder to adjust. Benoit points to outside boards and services such as police and fire, where budgets can be influenced by collective agreements, staffing requirements and other obligations that Council cannot simply cut without consequences. That creates a difficult balancing act. Residents want lower taxes, but they also expect roads to be repaired, snow cleared, infrastructure maintained, emergency services available and community facilities kept operating. Benoit’s position is that holding taxes flat sounds good, but if costs continue rising, something eventually has to give. His goal is therefore not to pretend increases can always be avoided, but to keep the portion City Council can control growing more slowly than inflation while continuing to provide the services residents depend on. #Sudbury #EricBenoit #Ward2 #PropertyTaxes #Inflation #CityBudget #CityHall #TaxpayerDollars #GreaterSudbury #LoveTheNorth