Wellington North council has put the final stamp of approval on its 2012 budget, including a $5.8-million tax levy, a 3.95 percent increase over 2011.
The increase will mean a two percent average hike in overall property taxes. For a home assessed at $180,488 total taxes will go up $51 from $2,512 to $2,563.
Wellington North’s portion of the tax bill amounts to $969 and includes $456 for public works, $193 on recreation, $139 on administration and $94 on fire protection as projected in April’s budget preview.
Councillor Andy Lennox, chairman of the finance committee, anticipated the budget would have been passed earlier. He acknowledged after the vote on May 7 that streamlining the budget process did not speed things up, at least in the first year department heads have worked with the new council.
Lennox said he expects the budget process will move quicker as figures on spending are discussed at an earlier stage and decisions are made sooner in anticipation of next year’s budget. The finance chairman said he hopes next year’s budget will be approved by February.
The 2012 budget was not changed significantly since it was first introduced at a public meeting in April. Lennox said the only real change was adding some funds for staff training. That money will come from a handicapped transit fund left over after council decided not to get involved in a transit system proposal.
The township continues to deal with long-term debt of about $7 million for Mount Forest’s new Sports complex. Other debt facing the township is related to the new sewage treatment plant in Mount Forest and a pool in Arthur, bringing the total to an estimated $10 million. Financing for long-term debt in this year’s budget is set at $726,739.
Public works costs will come in at about $2.4 million this year with a $988,000 capital fund transfer, recreation will cost about $1.4 million, economic development costs at $151,600, fire service about $518.000 along with a $175,000 capital fund transfer to the amalgamated Wellington North Fire Service, and administration slightly more than $1 million.
Lennox said at the April meeting he anticipated a hike in administration costs due in part to higher legal costs.
Membership payments to conservation authorities are set at slightly more than $132,000. Council costs are anticipated to come in at $147,000. Council voted also on Monday to freeze its remuneration at 2012 levels through to 2016.
Some capital costs expected this year, but not in the budget information approved on Monday, include the purchase of a new fire tanker truck at about $215,000, a new roads grader at $295,000 and reconstruction of Fergus Street in Mount Forest at about $383,000.
