Some residents in Brandon, Man., have signed a petition expressing their opposition to a proposed tax increase.

As of Tuesday afternoon, almost 500 people have signed Kerry Auriat's online petition to protest the city's 2012 budget, which proposes raising the mill rate — the rate that is used to calculate property taxes — by 5.28 per cent.

If approved, the rate increase could translate into property tax hikes as high as 20 per cent. Auriat said his own tax bill could go up by as much as $1,000 a year.

Auriat said he had originally expected a few dozen names on his petition, so he was surprised to see hundreds. Those who have signed it so far represent many walks of life, he added.

"I recognize some names; most, I don't," he told CBC News on Tuesday.

The City of Brandon is holding public consultations on the budget proposal. Council will vote on it in March.

Mayor Shari Decter Hirst said her office has been fielding a lot of phone calls and emails about the tax hike, but she said it is necessary to cover rising city staff salaries, infrastructure improvements, and the development of affordable housing.

Auriat's petition acknowledges a "major infrastructure deficit," but it argues that the proposed budget would "negatively impact our growth through its high taxes and lack of focus."

"It will also hurt many families' ability to save and invest in our community. We believe it will make our city less competitive," the text of the petition states in part.

Decter Hirst has been touting a growth plan that would address Brandon's housing crunch over the next two years, but she said no price tag has been attached to that plan yet.