Steinbach residents will find out Tuesday night just how much their taxes will go up this year. City council will hold a public hearing on its 2012 Financial Plan. Mayor Chris Goertzen says it's a chance for taxpayers to hear about the city's spending plans for 2012 and the tax implications.

He notes there are some items in the budget that will cause a tax increase for homeowners. Goertzen says, "This year, cultural and recreational facilities renewal, and also policing, have been a high priority. We know that, if we do want to act on renewing some of our facilities that are aging, we do need to put money away and council has made it clear that that is a priority. On policing, we had the Mayor's Task Force report and we know there's increased costs when it comes to policing this year. If we want to have better coverage, that is going to cost us some money. In the end, there will be some increases in costs and that means we will have to increase our revenue."

Goertzen adds the city intends to set aside 800 thousand dollars this year for recreational and cultural renewal. "That might mean putting money into a reserve, which is certainly a priority, or doing some planning."

As for the size of the tax increase, Goertzen says, "The full details will be presented on Tuesday, but, the reality is it will cost all of us a little bit more. It depends on what your reassessment was. Some people's reassessment will have gone lower and their taxes may go down but the majority will see a slight increase."

The Financial Plan hearing takes place at city hall Tuesday night at 8:00.