The Town of Erin will see a minimal increase to the Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) levy in 2018.
CVC’s CAO Deborah Martin-Downs presented the conservation authority’s 2017 highlights and budget forecasts at the Dec. 12 council meeting.
The town’s apportionment decreased for 2018, which means the increase is $247 (0.34%) over last year. Erin paid $72,665 in 2017 to CVC, that will increase to $72,912 in 2018.
The general levy from municipalities was $8.7 million in 2017 and will increase to $9 million in 2018. The special levy increased from $2.2 million in 2017 to $2.3 million in 2018.
The CVC’s budget forecasts a larger increase for the town in 2019 – 4.98% or approximately $77,000 – and 2020 – 5.88% or approximately $81,000.
Budget items include funds for natural heritage inventory and mapping, leaders for clean waters – headwaters program, ecological goods and services program, headwaters outreach program, landscape science program, major maintenance of land infrastructure and major maintenance of dam infrastructure.
One of the 2017 highlights included working with the town on the waste water environmental assessment.
“There is an interest to use the Elora-Cataract Trail potentially for servicing options so we are working with staff to determine if that can be achieved and what it might look like,” said Martin-Downs.
She added the CVC acquired 90 acres of “environmentally significant land” near 27th Sideroad and Winston Churchill Boulevard in Erin. The land was donated at a value of $145,000.
The Credit Valley Trail project has been approved and the CVC will start work on it very soon, said Martin-Downs. Even though the trail will not be passing through the town, she said the Elora-Cataract Trail will connect to it.
The Elora-Cataract Trail has seen a 21% increase in users from 2012 to 2016. Martin-Downs said the town and CVC will need to work together to solve parking overflow problems at trailheads.
“We do want to work with you to look at addressing challenges along the trailway for parking and comfort facilities,” she said.
Mayor Allan Alls said he sent a letter to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, outlining his frustration with the stagnant provincial funding.
Of the total budget, municipalities fund 55%, internal chargebacks/recoveries fund 28%, user fees/ revenues fund 16% and the province funds 1%.
“I recognize the good work the conservation authorities do but I feel very strongly that the communities along the waterway shouldn’t be the only ones paying for the nice clean air and water we send to that big smoke south of here and they should pick up some of the bill,” stated Alls.
Council received the presentation as information.
