MONTREAL -- Mayor Valerie Plante on Tuesday promoted some of the items in the city's latest spending plan, but some criticized the budget, arguing it targets renters and drivers.

She lauded an increased number of school crossing guards, for which her budget allots $1 million. The measure will improve children's safety, she said.

"I'm just very proud to say that this measure is going to support parents but also our kids to again go to school in a safe way," she said.

Plante's budget, at over $6 billion, is the city's largest ever. It increases spending to improve road safety, protect green space, build social housing and buy electric Bixi bikes. Some think the city is spending too much.

"It's a budget of continuity," said Renaud Brossard of the Canadian Taxpayer's federation. "In 2017, she gave us more spending, in 2018, she gave us more spending and in 2019, guess what, she gave us much more spending."

Increases in tax rates will help foot the bill for the new budget, the city announced. Apartment building owners, for example, will see their average tax rates increase by 4.5 per cent. In some boroughs, that number is higher. In Ville-Marie, it's 8.6 per cent.

Building owners are legally allowed to pass the entire tax increase on to tenants, and it could be an incentive for them to raise rents further, according to Ted Wright, coordinator of the Westmount Legal Clinic.

"You have to be careful because what they do is--say you have to pay a 25 dollar increase--a lot of landlords will say 'ok I'm going to charge 35' and they make a profit on the rent increase that's come down from the city," he said.

Drivers will also foot part of the bill. The city is hoping to take in more money from parking tickets and other fines. In 2019, the city expects $178 million in parking tickets--for 2020, its goal is $218 million--but the mayor insisted there won't be quotas. Instead, fine amounts will increase.

Many businesses will see a tax decrease as a result of the budget, Plante said. For Kenny Grover, who owns a clothing shop in Verdun, a tax break won't help as much as more parking would.

"The parking has gotten a lot worse with all the bike paths they're opening up," he said.

With files from CTV Montreal's Rob Lurie