City councillors are divided over funding for police, transit and infrastructure as they prepare to vote on Ottawa's last budget before next year’s municipal election.

The spending plan comes up for final approval on Wednesday. It commits more than $5.2 billion to city operations and more than $1.9 billion to capital projects.

It would hike taxes that fund police by five per cent and transit by eight per cent, while the rate that funds most other city services would rise by only two per cent.

That adds up to a 3.75 per cent property tax increase overall, or about $166 annually for the average urban homeowner.

The mayor has framed the budget as a balancing act between affordability and investment in key priorities like public safety. But some councillors including Kitchissippi Coun. Je

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