Residential taxes would rise by about $15 per $100,000 worth of assessment under the latest draft of the township’s 2017 budget.
The budget calls for expenditures of $9,626,413 this year, compared to $8,774,003 budgeted in 2016.
The projected tax levy of $6,554,085 is up by $671,849, or about 11.4 per cent from the budgeted 2016 levy of $5,882,236.
The budget calls for a tax rate increase of 3.3%, explained Mayor Neil Driscoll at a public open house on the budget on Feb. 15 at the PMD community centre.
Blended with county and school board taxes, the tax rate increase is about 2.6%. The township keeps 37 cents out of every property tax dollar collected, with 46 cents going to Wellington County and 17 cents for the education portion.
Roads and bridges will consume 44% of the township’s budget, with administration at 14% and parks and recreation at 13% forming the next largest portions.
Of the township’s nearly $4.8-million capital budget, a little over $2 million will come from federal and provincial grant funding, about $1.9 million from reserves and $266,700 from debt financing, leaving around $457,000 to be funded through the tax levy.
Driscoll told the Advertiser the levy increase was reduced to 11.4% from around 13% in an earlier draft primarily through decreased contributions to reserves.
The mayor said the budget takes a strictly utilitarian approach to infrastructure.
“This is the bare minimum that we can do,” he said.
The operating budget includes additional spending or reserve contributions to roads and bridges of $185,000 combined and $90,000 for the PMD arena.
Other operating budget highlights in the draft budget include:
– $6,000 for Canada 150th celebrations;
– $6,000 for a website redesign, plus anticipated Wellington County Business Retention and Expansion funding for the project;
– $20,000 for the implementation of a Community Improvement Plan: and
– $15,000 for development of a municipal signage plan and downtown signs.
Capital projects include:
– $16,000 for computer equipment replacement;
– $30,000 for new front counter and workstations to enhance accessibility;
– $1.2 million for McGivern Street improvements in Moorefield;
– about $2.5 million in bridge work, including $1.4 million for PB024 in Glen Allan; and
– $526,000 for Maryborough Community Centre upgrades (50% funded through a Ontario 150 capital grant).
CAO Brad McRoberts said no funds were specifically included in the draft budget for video recordings of council meetings for online streaming or posting.
However, he noted funds have been carried forward from previous budgets should council decide to implement video recording. He said he is still investigating pricing and equipment.
At the public meeting – attended by about 10 people aside from council members, staff and press – Driscoll explained the municipality undertook a service review in 2016 in an effort to find areas for potential cost savings.
A public meeting to present the service review will be held on March 7 at 7pm at the Alma Community Centre.
“There’s some really good things in there that people need to take a look at, especially when we look at our budgets and everyone wants to pay less and council can’t find a service that we can do without …” said Driscoll.
“If anything, some of the suggestions from staff are to give more services.”
During a question period, local resident Liz Samis asked how the decision was made to undertake major renovations at the Maryborough Community Centre in Moorefield.
“That was part of our 2010 parks and recreation master plan,” explained Driscoll.
“I believe once that facility is brought up to the day and age it is here in 2017 it will be a well used facility just like our Alma Community Centre.”
Resident Bruce Whale, a past mayor of Mapleton, questioned the practicality of the investment.
“One thing I really struggle with is putting a half million dollars into the Moorefield community centre and half that to come out of taxes … when we have three halls in this municipality, we have at least four churches with huge halls … and it’s still a struggle to get those halls used,” said Whale.
“The biggest use in Alma right now is the weddings … but you can’t count on weddings to operate these halls long term.”
Whale pointed out that with the combined projected deficits for the Moorefield hall and the PMD Arena Complex, “We’ve got about $800,000 that could be going to roads or bridges or somewhere else … The dynamics of the community have changed … people don’t go out to meetings and dances and function the way they did 20 or 30 years ago.”
Driscoll replied the hall is difficult to rent out in its current condition.
“The hall is decrepit. It’s old. And it’s that old saying if you don’t build it they won’t come,” Driscoll stated.
“We have to give the community some pride again, because people from Moorefield aren’t going to go to Alma for their weddings … I think it would be really irresponsible of us just to let it fall down, because that’s not going to build any community whatsoever.”
Driscoll said enhanced accessibility was one of the main goals of the project.
“If you’re in a wheelchair in the Moorefield hall you’re pretty well beat,” added councillor Dennis Craven.
Driscoll directed some comments to critics of council before concluding the session.
“We’re the only people that actually provide you with services of everyday needs … We keep your roads open, we take away your garbage, we provide you with clean water and make sure you can get across your bridges … and I think it’s maybe just because we’re so local and everyone knows their council and their mayor that they can complain, they can send emails, they can put in letters to the editor about how bad a job council may be doing with these huge property taxes that we’re paying in our municipality,” the mayor stated.
“But I want to ask you one question, and I wish there were more people here to ask the question: how many of you complain when you pay $1.70 for what used to be a large coffee, it’s now a medium coffee, at Tim Hortons?
“How much are you going to spend when you buy a $68,000 four-by-four pickup truck to drive up and down our roads and complain they aren’t plowed properly?
“How many people complain about the price of a tractor compared to the price in 2011? We still go out and buy them every day. Combines are over half a million, closer to a million for a complete outfit, and I know when we started farming $60,000 would buy you a pretty nice machine.
“Not once does anybody complain about these, but as soon as there’s something local and we’re actually giving you something back, we’re giving you a good service, and we’re not by any means breaching our infrastructure deficit.
“This budget should probably be an 18 per cent increase, but we know people can’t afford that, but when is the crash going to come and we can’t keep putting three per cent budgets out there, and under, because all this budget is doing is maintaining.”
Council is aiming to give final approval to the budget at a special meeting on March 7 at 3:30pm at the township building on Sideroad 16.
