The total value of all taxable property in the city rose slightly from $443,291,170 last year to $444,696,070 in the latest assessment rolls. Five of the nine council members voted in favour of the levy bylaw but the four who opposed it did so vociferously. “There’s no way in good conscience … that I could ever support a budget like this,” said Coun. Les Ellsworth, while Coun. Earl Colbourne said anyone who voted in favour of the levy bylaw should be ashamed. “We’re still spending money like crazy on things that, right now, we don’t need,” he said. "What we need right now for the citizens of Thompson is tax relief."