As Owen Sound City council begins its deliberation of its 2022 operating budget, it has been presented with some sobering numbers.

The Director of Corporate Services gave a summary "[These] tables are telling us that the Owen Sound taxpayer has a lower income and pays more in relative property taxes than not only other municipalities in Grey and Bruce counties but also than the Province as a whole.

Over the past 10 years, the Municipal levy has increased by 50%, from $21,659,300 to $31,659,458 in 2021.

With low growth rates, low household incomes and higher than average relative taxes, the population of Owen Sound does not have the financial capacity to absorb property tax increases consistent with what we have experienced over the past 10 years."

This data was gleaned from the BMA report. The BMA Management Consulting does a regular study of 110 Ontario municipalities representing more than 85% of the population of the province.