It looks like the end is in sight for Leland's budget troubles.
On Thursday night, the town council held a public hearing for the newest edition of its budget plan. This time, the town is exploring a 17% property tax increase, instead of the 70% increase it initially proposed.
Despite the changes, the majority of meeting attendees remained critical of the budget. Of the 27 people who signed up to speak, most of them told the council to reject any tax increase whatsoever, with one speaker asking for a decrease.
Many of the speakers were members of the political organization Better Government for Leland, which formed following the initial 70% increase proposal. Rhonda Florian, who is one of the group's organizers, said during the meeting that rising property values and inflation made living in Leland expensive enough.
"Remember that in our country," Florian said, "we have a grand tradition of fighting against unjust taxation."
During the meeting, council member Bill McHugh said Leland needed a tax increase to keep up with the area's growth.
"We know how much construction is going to go on, how much growth is going to go on, and we want to be as ahead of it as we can," he said.
The council moved to hold a vote on the budget during its meeting on May 16.
