Steinbach city council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday night to adopt its 2019 budget. The city will spend $31.9 million and there will be no increase in property taxes.

In moving approval, councillor Susan Penner noted the city's debt payments this year will total $3 million, about $700,000 more than usual due to the new water treatment plant that is being built.

"This is a really tight year for debt payments, there's a spike. And I think it would have been easy for council to have a good, legitimate excuse or reason to raise taxes this year. We would easily have said, look, our debt payments are going up significantly this year, we need to raise taxes. I think it's commendable that instead of taking that opportunity, that we looked at it and realized that it's only for one year. Next year it will ease up again and there will be that extra $700,000. To me, that is the highlight of the budget."

Deputy Mayor Michael Zwaagstra says this is a really good budget.

"We have some important capital projects that we're moving ahead with, notably the Heritage Cemetery expansion, the secondary water treatment plant, which is the largest project that has ever happened in the City of Steinbach and we're doing all of that while, at the same time, holding the line on taxes. It's the result of making some choices and we think it's important to recognize that people don't want to pay more taxes and yet they want good services and this budget does both."

Councillor Jac Siemens says it's also important to note this is the first budget since Steinbach expanded its boundaries last year and council still came in with a zero tax increase.

"I think this was a critical budget for the city due to the fact it's the first year after annexation. Now we are a little more sure of what our costs are as part of it, and our revenue as well."

Some of the major expenditures in the 2019 budget include $12 million for capital projects, $8.9 million for salaries and benefits for city employees and $4.2 million for police and fire services.

Mayor Earl Funk says he is pleased that councillors honoured their election promises to hold the line on taxes while maintaining good services.