www.ngtimes.ca
The Voice of North Grenville
Vol. 3, No. 4
January 28, 2015
Council pass the 2015 budget
The North Grenville Times is Locally Owned and Operated
by David Shanahan The 2015 municipal budget was passed by council on Monday night, and it contains a 6.18% increase in municipal taxes. The rate increase covers inflation, a 2% increase over assessment “to achieve financial stability over the next ten years,” as well as an increase to balance the loss of funding from the Province. Brian Carré, Chief Administrative Officer of the Municipality of North Grenville, gave a presentation before the vote which emphasised the need to make an adjustment to the way in which the municipality’s finances were handled, and noted the vital statistic that provincial funding to the municipality from the provincial Ontario Municipalities Partnership Fund had been
cut by a cumulative $1.5 million over the last four years. Mayor David Gordon spoke about the loss of provincial revenues, and the need to realise that the next four years may be the toughest faced by Ontario municipalities for many years, owing to the near-bankruptcy of provincial coffers. Other sources of revenue have also been under pressure, as aging infrastructure, such as pipes and equipment, needed to be replaced and upgraded. Development Charges, it was pointed out, only cover new infrastructure costs, and cannot be applied to repairing and renovating existing assets. Municipal Treasurer, Sheila Kehoe, provided a report on various applications for funding which had been received through the budget
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consultation process, resulting in only one of these being funded through the Community Grants Program. Details on these and other budget items can be found inside this issue of the NG Times. Local South Gower resident, Chris Billings, used the time for questions to raise the matter of IMAC property assessments and how they would add significantly to the total tax bill faced by NG residents this year. In his presentation to council, Brian Carré had used the example of a property valued by IMAC at around $300,000 and stated that this segment of the tax bill could increase by as much as 5%. But in answering Chris, Brian pointed out that this part of the tax assessment, like the education and United Counties assessment, were outside of
the municipality’s control. He and David Gordon spoke of North Grenville being forced to work within a system over which there was little control, and the municipality’s share of the average resident’s tax bill was only 47%. There was a genuine feeling of common cause displayed at the council meeting: that we were all in a transition period between how things were done in the past, and how they would be handled in future. The adjustment that was being made in the 2015 budget would make future management of our municipal finances more stable, predictable and rational. Mayor Gordon’s four-year test of endurance, he believed, would see us come through in the end with a stronger and more prosperous North Grenville.
The Royal Canadian Legion Kemptville Branch 212 100 Reuben Crescent, Kemptville 613-258-5734
Valentine’s Day Dinner & Dance
Saturday, February 14, 2015 Roast Pork Dinner at 6:00 p.m. Dance 7:30 – 12:00 p.m. FEATURING:
THIS OLD HEART AND THE COUNTRY COMRADES Tickets $20.00 per person Reserve your tickets from the Kemptville Legion Bar Staff Lorena Miller 613- 258-9065 Marilyn Aldus 613-986-1378
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