Laval will spend more next year to keep pace with urban growth, but property owners won't see a major tax increase, Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt said Monday as he unveiled the city's 2007 budget.

Laval will boost spending by $40 million, a 6.5-per cent-increase that brings the city's total budget to about $643 million.

Laval is growing fast, and that means higher spending, Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt says.Laval is growing fast, and that means higher spending, Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt says.
Radio-Canada

On average, property owners will face a modest two-per-cent tax increase, the mayor said, with residential owners paying slightly less than commercial owners.

Laval is enjoying a mini-boom as businesses and residents flock to the city north of Montreal, Vaillancourt said. That has increased the city's revenues, and that's why the average property owner won't have to carry the whole load.

However, urban growth is leading to higher spending, Vaillancourt added, as the city tries to expand infrastructure to keep pace with the influx of people and businesses.