TOWN councillors had to scale back their plans for next year's budget, after early drafts proposed a 12.2 per cent hike in council tax bills.
The draft budget for 2009/2010 had been drawn up at a meeting of the town council's finance and general purposes committee.
But the precept increase was reduced to 2.5 per cent at a full council meeting on Monday.
Money was removed from:
n £24,000 for refurbishment of the ladies' toilets at the town hall;
n £5,450 for resurfacing the area between the Festival Hall and the caretaker's house;
n Amount reduced from £12,500 to £2,500 for double glazing the Festival Hall offices;
n £2,500 for a display case in the council chamber; and
n A reduction of the amount for double glazing of Sheet Village Hall from £15,000 to £12,500.
The cuts came after Clive Shore suggested a revised budget that could cut the council tax bill by as much as 16.3 per cent.
Mr Shore said: "In the current economic climate affordability is even more important. We can afford to delay some expenditure until the next financial year when economic trends should be clearer."
Bob Ayer said: "I could not support the first draft budget. Even before the credit crunch I received letters from pensioners in my ward saying the current levels of council tax were placing them in real poverty."
But other councillors warned that by removing certain items they were only going to faced with a bigger bill.
George Watkinson said: "For 11 years I have been trying to get this council to start budgeting for things that may be happening in the future."
And Ken Hick added: "We are paying a price for under precepting in previous years."
The draft precept would have made up 60 per cent of the East Hampshire District Council tax bill, up from 40 per cent in only five years.