Lacombe City Council has prepared the draft budget for 2017, taking a close look at trying to balance the level of services provided while keeping costs down.

Mayor Steve Christie says although the proposed property tax rate is a 3.28% increase, it's still quite minimal "just in our uncontrollable costs being insurance, utilities, that type of thing, the cost increase to doing business with the City of Lacombe is 3.15% so I think if we were anywhere below that we would be going backwards, not even covering the cost of providing services to the citizens."

Christie adds major capital projects on the books for next year include revitalizing downtown with the Mainstreet Project and the city is also looking at partnering with Lacombe County to get services out to the west area of the city.

You can learn more about the budget at an open house TODAY from 4 to 8 pm at the Lacombe Memorial Centre.