Guelph-Eramosa approves budget, 6.6% tax increase

Guelph-Eramosa Mayor Chris White says he is pleased with the township’s 2013 budget, despite a 6.6% tax levy increase.

“It’s probably a little higher than I would have liked,” White said of the increase on March 4.

But he noted the township is dealing with a number of demands, plus decreased funding from the province, notably through the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund.

Council officially passed the budget on Monday night, after several months of deliberations and a public information session on Feb. 21.

The $16.65-million budget includes $5,032,466 to be raised through taxes, up $311,651 or 6.6% from the 2012 figure of $4,720,815 (last year council approved a 9.1% tax levy increase).

For the average owner with a home assessed this year at $365,000 the township portion of the tax bill will rise $60 or 6.7% (from $892 to $952). The overall tax bill for the same home will increase from $4,010 to $4,153, with the county portion rising $89 to $2,427 and the education portion dropping by $6 to $774.

“Council and staff worked hard to provide a budget that maintains service levels and infrastructure,” White said in a press release.

He noted the township is “pleased” the total blended tax rate will be about 3.6% for the average home owner, given the municipality was facing “challenges such as aging infrastructure, legislation requirements, rising inflation and a decline in the availability of federal and provincial grants.”

The township receives about 23% of the total tax bill, while the county receives 58% and the province 19%for education purposes.

Capital projects in the 2013 draft budget include:

- $55,990 for asset management planning;

- $93,000 for a final top coat of asphalt on Oliphant Street in Everton and several streets in Rockwood;

- $117,500 for improvements to a Sideroad 20 bridge;

- $165,000 for four street paving projects in Eden Mills;

- $188,000 for various fire department items, including a new SUV command vehicle ($50,000), 15 sets of new bunker gear and other protective equipment ($53,000), and parking lot and entrance upgrades at the Rockwood hall ($70,000);

- $225,000 to pulverize and pave Speedvale Avenue West, from Wellington Road 32 to the Guelph border;

- almost $300,000 in parks and recreation projects, including expansion of the Rockwood cemetery ($35,000), replacing the roof and adding a concrete walkway at the former town hall ($35,000 total), adding auxiliary power connections at the Rockmosa community centre ($50,000), and two playground replacement projects ($50,000 each);

- $420,000 to complete paving of Jones Baseline, between Wellington Roads 124 and 22;

- $663,472 to finish the office expansion in Brucedale;

- $800,000 to reconstruct and pave Sideroad 20, from Jones Baseline to 5th Line;

- $1.18 million for water projects, including a new generator ($70,000), a water main river crossing ($150,000) and a new pumping station ($750,000); and

- $2.95 million in wastewater projects, the majority of which is earmarked for projects to increase capacity and convert the Rockwood pre-treatment plant from a syphon system to a pumping system.