Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz said she would welcome members of the public attending next week’s council budget meeting amid rising criticism about soaring property tax bills.
She told The Observer that anyone is allowed to attend the next session on November 4, where next year’s spending plans will once again be discussed.
It follows concerns from Elmira seniors that their pension incomes are being overstretched after Woolwich announced it was considering the possibility of a 22-per-cent tax rise next year.
Martin Prus, 66, who has seen the township portion of his bill rise by an inflation-busting 143 per cent over 20 years, said he’d like a special town-hall-style meeting to be held where the mayor and councillors could discuss tax-and-spending plans with a big community audience.
He feels that seniors, who make up a larger proportion of residents in Woolwich than the regional average, are not being properly taken into account.
