PUSLINCH – Council here could not decide if a third full-time staff person is needed at the Puslinch Community Centre (PCC), even though council had increased rental fees at the facility and previously acknowledged staff needs to be present during rentals to ensure the building and equipment is not damaged.
Treasurer Mary Hasan presented the 2024 draft operating budget to council on Dec. 13.
She stressed that even though revenue is expected to increase to $617,000 in 2024, it’s not enough to cover increases in mandated items like cost-of-living wage increases, conservation authority levies, fuel costs, contract services, dispatch fees and insurance.
She proposed the base operating budget should increase by $23,354, with the lion’s share ($19,505) being the net increase in adding a third full-time operator at the PCC.
“I’m leery at this stage of the game,” said councillor John Sepulis, referring to the improvements made inside and outside the PCC in recent years and how much extra work will be required to maintain the grounds and building.
“We don’t know the impact of the changes. There are too many unknowns to swallow this extra person right now.”
Councillor Jessica Goyda said she’d also prefer to “wait and see” before making the new hire.
Councillor Sara Bailey suggested holding off on the new hire until partway through the year.
“I think we know we are going to need this person,” she said. “This cuts [the increase] in half. It buys us six months.”
Mayor James Seeley suggested reducing the contribution to the gravel roads improvement reserve by $45,000 and using $5,000 of that to offset the cost of a new operator.
“It would lessen the bite of the facility operator for this year,” he said.
Some on-the-spot calculations indicate a full-time hire would reduce the budgeted overtime by $6,500, bringing the net cost of the new hire to $13,000.
Council parked the new hire decision to talk about other ways to reduce the levy.
The budget included a $25,000 contribution to the insurance contingency fund. These funds are used to cover the deductible if a claim is made.
Hasan said because there is a “healthy” balance of $119,000 in the reserve, she’s comfortable making no contribution in 2024 and a $10,000 contribution in 2025, “contingent on the number of claims.”
The township has incurred some costs because of the closure of the Paddock Bridge on Wellington Road 35, which caused detours onto township roads.
The county will transfer funds to the township to cover these extra expenses – $27,500 in 2023 and $20,000 in 2024.
Council saw this as a windfall for the township and wanted to use it to reduce the levy.
But director of public works, parks and facilities Mike Fowler said he intended to use those funds to cover the increased need for and cost of calcium.
By shifting some funds from reserves to the operating budget, council managed to reduce the proposed $23,354 base budget increase to $16,854, resulting in a 4.89% increase to taxpayers on the township portion of their tax bill. This includes the third full-time operator at the PCC.
This is not the final word on the 2024 budget, however.
The capital and operating budget returns to council on Jan. 10, there’s a public meeting on Jan. 17 at 7pm and council is expected to approve the budget on Feb. 7.
