Increasing the council tax by the maximum possible of 4.79% is just one of the measures that Argyll and Bute is proposing to meet its budget gap of £7.9 million.
A total of 56 jobs are facing the axe when the authority meets to set its budget on February 21.
Among the posts which could go are 12 school crossing patrollers, five environmental wardens, 17 posts within youth and adult learning and a music instruction job.
Increasing standard fees and charges at inflation would result in £270,000 of extra income and increasing parking fees above inflation would bring in a further £50,000.
The Scottish Government’s funding allocation to the council means in effect another 1.6% reduction in funding for core services in 2019/20. This follows savings of £51m over the past nine years.
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Councillor Aileen Morton, Leader of Argyll and Bute Council, said: “It’s no longer enough to say that these are difficult times for councils. Years of savings are peeling away the support that councils can give their communities. More and more, councils must focus on delivering their statutory duties.
“Argyll and Bute, however, needs more than core services from its council. It needs support to build its economy and a successful future; local communities need local government services to support their family, business and community lives.
“Setting a responsible budget this year is about making decisions that support people as much as we can now, while also looking after the future of Argyll and Bute.”
Reports going to the Policy and Resources Committee on Thursday set out the proposals for making savings and raising income.
Councillor Gary Mulvaney, Depute Leader and Policy Lead for Strategic Finance, said: “The harsh fact is that funding for our core services is being cut again with our like-for-like Scottish Government grant down £3.1m, leaving an unpalatable combination of service cuts and council tax rises to plug that gap.
“Decisions we made in previous years mean we have already put in place £2.4m savings for 2019/20. However, more cuts to our core funding mean more tough choices about the work of the council.
“Our priority is to deliver as much value as possible from the reduced funding we have.”
The shortfall is not as bad as the £9m the authority first feared. If all the proposals are accepted, it will leave a surplus of £1.032m.
