Residents of Kanata North have mixed feelings about paying a levy to cover the costs of burying a strip of overhead power lines in their ward.

Councillor Marianne Wilkinson met with constituents on Monday to rally support for a proposal to bury power lines near All Saints High School underground.

Wilkinson said Hydro Ottawa would hang the wires overhead unless the ward can come up with an additional $2.5 million to bury them.

The levy for Kanata North's 30,000 residents, if approved, would add $15 annually to the average tax bill for the next 10 years.

Resident Jason Qui said the power line poles aren't adding to the view from his backyard.

"I have a beautiful lawn," said Qui. "But with those two poles at my backyard it looks like a football field, instead of a backyard."

Buried lines more reliable: Wilkinson

Wilkinson said burying the wires is more than just an issue of aesthetics for residents.

"When we had the ice storm here we didn't lose power, when we have high-wind storms, we don't lose power," said Wilkinson of the power lines in the ward that are buried. "So it actually gives a better level of service for the people."

Some residents at the meeting said they didn't understand why the costs of the work needed to be put forth in the levy and not in the existing city taxes.

"That may not sound like a lot," said Matt Muirhead of the levy costs. "But we end up in this whole other world [where] what we want we just tax for."

Ottawa's transportation committee has already approved the levy proposal.

Coun. Wilkinson said she intends to bring it up on May 26 before city council, which would ultimately decide whether or not to approve the plan.

With files from the CBC's Ashley Burke