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A sometimes testy day of budget talks concluded with a 2019 property tax increase for Saskatoon residents just below the proposed hike.

Despite a process during which conditional decisions were made throughout the year, city council needed 16 hours over two days to reach a 4.4 per cent property tax increase Tuesday.

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Council started talks on Monday with a preliminary 4.5 per cent increase. The final increase of 4.4 per cent means an extra $79.52 a year for an average home assessed at $371,000.

Mayor Charlie Clark expressed frustration during Tuesday’s meeting with the number of questions asked and details sought by council members.

“I would just remind council that we’ve had this report for six months,” Clark said Tuesday evening.

A new mandatory organics program looms more than a year away, but the controversial change still dominated Tuesday’s deliberations.

Coun. Ann Iwanchuk, a staunch opponent of changes to trash collection approved earlier this month, tried to convince council Tuesday to remove funding to prepare for the change next year.