A municipal budget open house here became a town hall meeting-style dialogue, after a larger-than-expected crowd showed up at the Maryborough Community Centre on Jan. 14.
In contrast to past years, when only a handful of local residents turned up at budget open house sessions set up to allow for informal one-on-one-chats with councillors and staff, more than 50 people attended the meeting last Thursday.
The turnout prompted Mayor Neil Driscoll to change formats and deliver a formal presentation and answer questions from the assembled group.
“There were a whole lot of questions about the same thing and we thought, let’s just try and make it easier and do it this way,” Driscoll told the Community News in an telephone interview the next day.
At the meeting, questions were asked on topics ranging from the cost of a new municipal maintenance facility to the parting of ways with a former CAO, but everything came back to the theme of budget and taxes.
Driscoll explained the latest budget revisions have the total increase in the levy for township purposes down to 17.29 per cent from the 20.3 figure in the draft prior to a Jan. 6 budget meeting. That reduction lowers the proposed levy increase over the amount raised by taxation in 2015 to about $867,303. A levy increase of $1.03 million had been under consideration.
Lower county tax rates provided following the Jan. 6 meeting brought the increase in the total tax bill (including county and school taxes) on a residence assessed at $300,000 to $121, down from the $184 previously proposed.
The latest figures mean the blended tax rate increase, including township, county and school board taxes, is at 2.91%, while the township tax rate increase stands at 9.7%.
Properties on which assessment changed between 2015 an 2016 will face a higher increase. For example, on a property with a 2015 assessment of $308,628, increased to $319,373 this year, the owner would see an increase of $264.
On the average single family dwelling assessed at $300,000, a total 2016 tax bill of $4,150 would include a township portion of $1,454, a county portion of $2,073 and education taxes of $623.
The budget includes capital spending of about $8.7 million, including $4.6 million on wastewater projects, much of that earmarked for projects designed to increase capacity.
Of the capital spending, only $407,811 will come from current taxation, while $921,950 will come from reserves and reserve funds, $491,189 from grants, donations and user fees, and $6.8 million from borrowing.
Driscoll was asked why, on top of this year’s increase, substantial rate increases continue to be projected over the next five years.
The mayor explained the province’s decision to require municipalities to prepare asset management plans has shed light on the need for increased spending to address the township’s infrastructure deficit.
“With due respect to former councils, sometimes they were scared to raise taxes,” said Driscoll. “But why not tell you the truth? If you’re going to elect us to let your infrastructure fail, I don’t want that job.”
He also said the township may eventually be compelled to hire an asset management coordinator to keep up with ensuring the plan is current.
Driscoll said increased spending in other areas is also needed to avoid falling behind.
Pointing out ratepayers often comment on taxes rising while they “haven’t had a raise in five years,” Driscoll said, “If I had been an employer at a business where someone didn’t get an increase in five years, he wouldn’t have been (there).”
He noted the township has lost some employees and potential employees in recent years by not being competitive on compensation.
On the cost of a $5.4-million maintenance facility being built to replace one destroyed by fire in 2013, Driscoll stated, “It’s not a Taj Mahal.”
He noted the new building will allow the township to operate more efficiently by combining operations previously conducted from shops located in Moorefield and at the township’s administration centre on Sideroad 16.
“It’s twice the size of the building it’s replacing so obviously it’s going to cost more,” he said in reference to the cost gap between the insurance settlement on the previous building and the new facility.
Driscoll was asked if measures were in place to prevent a repeat of the circumstances that led to the termination of former CAO Patty Sinnamon on July 2, 2015.
The mayor responded clauses were included in the current CAO’s employment contract to address such situations.
Asked why details of a settlement with the former CAO were not made public, Driscoll responded, “because that person has certain rights.”
When someone in the crowd remarked “if you won’t tell us, then we won’t pay for it,” Driscoll replied, “I could tell you what the situation was and when we get sued then everyone will be happy.”
The mayor told the Community News he was pleased with the way the meeting turned out.
“It was great. That’s the input that we’re trying to get, we just don’t know how to get it more often,” said Driscoll.
“I got seven emails this morning saying how much they appreciated the meeting, so I think that means a lot.”
Driscoll also said he felt further changes to the budget, which is scheduled to be presented for passage at the Feb. 9 meeting, are unlikely.
“I honestly think we’re there, because council’s looked over the budget on all these occasions and we’ve realized there isn’t anything more we can cut,” he said.
“There’s a lot more we can add, but our residents just aren’t ready to pay that.”
