The provincial government has increased the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) by $5 million.
FONOM (The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities) says the province is targeting northern and rural communities with the funding and North bay will receive an additional $1.5 million.
That $1.5 million from the OMPF will be applied by City Council in an effort to bring down the 2018 tax levy, perhaps under one per cent.
Much of that will depend on the budgets of the ABCs (agencies, boards, and commissions). The North Bay Police Service has already presented a budget that is an increase of 8.2 per cent, while the Capitol Centre is 10 per cent above 2017.
City Council has asked that budgets come in at no more than a two per cent increase and has demanded that those groups above that mark keep working to bring them down.
The District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board (DNSSAB), one of the larger entities under the umbrella of the City, has yet to table a budget.
