Levy increase lower in latest budget draft

The 2014 budget outlook continues to improve for Mapleton taxpayers.

The latest draft of the township’s budget, the third so far, presented in a treasurer’s report at the March 4 council meeting, requires a tax levy of $4,333,814, an increase of $333,725 over the 2013 levy.

Finance director Yufang Du said those numbers would result in a budget levy increase of 8.83 per cent and tax rate increase of 1.79%.

The budget’s second draft, presented at the Feb. 11 meeting, had projected a levy increase of $393,254 or 9.83%. Council originally targeted a late March passage of the budget, but now it seems the budget will be approved at the April 8 meeting.