Most of the 2017 city operating budget has been approved by city council by an 8-2 vote.

It calls for a 1.97 per cent increase in the municipal levy in the next year but it doesn’t include the Police Services Board Budget which was sent back to committee.

It’s calling for a 3.8 per cent increase.

That means the final tax bills can’t be sent out yet because that’s an 18 Million Dollar budget.

The two councillors who opposed adopting the budget were Mike Anthony and Mark King.

King says he rejected it because his fellow councillors wouldn’t reduce the fire department’s budget by 1 per cent.

Anthony says people are hurting and he wasn’t willing to add to that.

Councillor Derek Shogren says he supported the budget because the increase is reasonable.

He says the 4 year average in North Bay works out to 1.8 per cent a year.