Property tax increases are holding at 6.9 per cent after Edmonton councillors rubber stamped widening of Whitemud Drive and approved funding for more traffic enforcement on their last day of budget talks.

After four days of debate, council voted 11-2 to pass the amended operating and capital budgets, with Couns. Michael Elliott and Karen Principe voting against.

“I campaigned on the fact we need to protect our public services and at the same time we need to work towards a more affordable city,” said Mayor Andrew Knack. “This is the last of a four-year budget and a lot of this was pre-determined.

“This pendulum that has been swinging from the last four-year budget where we have the lowest property tax increases in the last 25 years to some of the highest in the last decade — that has to

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