The amount Dumfries and Galloway Council needs to cut from its budget over the next three years has hit an estimated £34 million.
The local authority had thought it would need to save £10 million each year for a cumulative total of £30 million.
However, a report for the upcoming meeting of the council’s enabling and customer services committee estimates the amount has risen to £34.32 million.
Reasons cited for the increase include nationally negotiated pay rises for council workers and increases in demand for children’s residential placements.
The full council meeting at the end of February will see members set the budget for 2025/26.
Increasing council tax is one option on the table to plug the gap, while a range of budget savings which could save more than £5 million in 2025/26 went out to consultation last year.
However, not all of these options – which included cutting funding for the Youth Beatz festival and changing the mothballing threshold for schools – were popular with locals.
Click here for more news and sport from Dumfries and Galloway.
Committee chairman, Councillor Ivor Hyslop, said: “Every year our council needs to make tough decisions in late February and this year will be no different.
“The bottom-line is, like all local authorities facing similar pressures, we need to balance our books.
“Our reputation as a council for ‘sound financial management’ was highlighted last year by the Accounts Commission and we will continue to take a prudent approach to what is a challenging fiscal backdrop.”