It took just two council budget meetings for the Town of Mono to slash close to $1.5 million off its 2009 budget and present ratepayers with the prospect of no increase in the town's portion of their property tax bills.

The budget has been finalized and town council will make it official by passing a bylaw to that effect at its Dec. 9 meeting.

Total expenditures for 2009 will be $9,213,186, compared to $9,061,963 in 2008. The 2009 tax levy is $5,719,049 for 2009, up from $5,660,819 in 2008. The difference in the levies is linked to growth and not inflation, and taxes on new housing is expected to cover the full increase of slightly over $151,000 in spending.

Residents will still have to await the final tax-rate decision at the county level and the provincial education levy to figure out what their overall property taxes will be.

Complicating matters this year is the 2007 province-wide property re-assessment by MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Commission).

Made at a time when property values were peaking, the reassessment resulted in the average assessment in Mono increasing 26 per cent. Under provincial law, the increase will be phased in over four years, meaning the 2009 assessment figure will be up an average of 6.5 per cent in Mono.

As a result, those Mono residents with assessment increases of less than 6.5 per cent can expect a lower tax bill from Mono, while those with higher increases will have to pay more.

To achieve its targets at Tuesday's meeting, council came up with $205,000 in cuts and focused, in large part, on the parks and recreation budget and what it felt should be left in and what could be taken out.

Included in the cuts were $10,000 in proposed signage. A proposal to pave the parking lot at Mono Community Centre, at a cost of $27,000, was shelved, as well as $10,300 in planned renovations.

The Monora Park Pavilion also felt the sting as $25,000 in capital projects slated for that facility were put aside.

Town of Mono parks and recreation director Kim Perryman was on hand Tuesday to work with council on the budget alterations. After the meeting, she said the final decisions were appropriate. "I think council did a great job," said Ms. Perryman. "There were no things done today that would really shake me."

Understanding that council had to make cost-cutting its priority in putting together an annual budget in these uncertain economic times, Ms. Perryman said that emphasis should be put on the town's trail system once the economy rebounds and council is willing to loosen the purse strings.

"The trails in this town are a significant venue. They are the most affordable venues of recreation for residents."

She also made a case that recreation spending and promotion at the municipal levels ultimately saves money at higher government levels. To accentuate the point, she points to a study by the Saskatchewan health care system that estimates that every one-percent increase in recreation activities saves taxpayers $1.37 million in annual health care costs.

Meanwhile, Orangeville council is set to begin its budget preparations with a budget meeting Dec. 1.