Mayor Bev Buckway said she'd be sleeping well after a long, tiring process of finalizing the budget, which city council passed Monday evening.

Coun. Jan Stick also said city staff and council had worked very hard on the 2008 operating budget, and she applauded all for their efforts.

While councillors agreed much work had been put into the budget, not all agreed with the final product.

Councillors voiced their opinions before voting for the budget, with only Coun. Doug Graham voting against it.

Coun. Dave Austin was absent from the meeting.

"I don't like a 7.5 per cent increase and I don't think it's necessary," said Graham, referring to the residential property tax hike. "We have to do more to cut our budget."

Coun. Dave Stockdale said he too had reservations about the tax boost.

"This is the largest one Whitehorse has ever imposed, at least since I've been around," he said. He was first elected to council in 1983, 25 years ago.

"I'm a little disturbed by the 7.5 percent, and I'll be very cautious in the future, but I'll support it." he said.

"Everybody is facing an increase in costs ... the city is no different," Buckway said in an interview with the Star after the council meeting.

She reiterated to council and the public that the tax increase is due to a growing city with growing demands, adding that if people wanted cuts, they would need to accept those cuts in departments.

"We are not mandated to have a fire service, or transit, or parks and recreation," she said. "There's only so far we can cut back without eliminating some departments."

Some councillors seemed to better sympathize with this need than others.

"We asked staff at the Canada Games Centre to get numbers up, to show it's being used," said Stick.

"More and more people are going and using it, and that comes with costs."

She said the tax hike "is certainly a hit (to taxpayers), but I don't see where else we can cut right now."

Coun. Florence Roberts said, "Nobody likes to pay for invisible things," like services and operations. "But we face the rising cost of things just like other people do."

Graham, on the other hand, said he does not buy the "growing city" argument.

"At a time especially when the City of Whitehorse has as much cash as it does ... we've never had as much money as we do now."

Graham said he was pleased council was able to cut back nearly $2 million from the first draft, but said it is not enough.

"I agree with the new Municipal Services Building, but unless we can do it without borrowing money ... we can't afford to be borrowing."

A new Municipal Services Building is one of the budget's bigger-ticket items, at $16 million between 2008 and 2011.

Stick had said she thought the new building is a pressing item, as, "it's in the wrong location (on Fourth Avenue), it's an old building, staff are crowded ... in moving it, I think we'll be saving money."

No details on developing replacement premises have been finalized.

Graham said he also disapproved of cutting 10 per cent of each department's discretionary costs, though he understood why it had to be done.

"We have to make fundamental changes to the way we do things here at the city," he said. One of those changes, he said, starts with a council-review process for all new staffing.

"That is a good first step."

Graham acknowledged that his view may be radical, but he said it is rooted in concern for the underdog.

"My primary concern has always been for people with low income. These people simply can't afford it; there's no possible way.

"You're going to force a lot of people out of their homes."

Buckway concluded the discussion on the budget by turning her chairwoman role over to Roberts, so she could comment.

"Council's philosophical views and comfort levels on debt and reserves vary," she said.

"Working as a team, we have finalized a budget that is, as always, a compromise between us.

"Keeping a balance in renewing our infrastructure, providing support to seniors and community groups and being able to maintain service levels is challenging this year, and will continue to be in the years to come."

Buckway said after the meeting that as far as the next municipal election goes in 2009, she is not even thinking about how this budget may affect her chances for re-election.

"That's too far down the road to think about per se," she said. "I mean, we've pared this down so much."

She gave the example of bylaw services, saying residents frequently ask for bylaws to be added and enforced, but may not understand that such services mean higher costs.

She also expressed dissatisfaction at the level of public involvement. While the city received numerous letters, phone calls and e-mails offering feedback on the proposed budget, it was only from a small segment of the overall population.

"I know there's a lot of coffee talk shop about it, but we don't get a lot of formal input. There's one member of the public in the gallery I see here tonight, and I think that speaks to it."

City staff said they do not get to rest now that the budget is out but rather, they get to begin work on implementing it.