CH tax rate up 7.52 per cent

Continued from page 3 additional motions at the meeting before getting to the business of the budget. Council voted to finance the municipality’s new utilities work centre by way of a loan debenture of $1,466,740 over 10 years at an estimated rate of 3.98 per cent and approved the Isaac Street reconstruction project for the tendered amount of $2,265,916.76, excluding HST. Birnam Excavating Ltd. was the successful bidder of the five respondents. Submitted prices ranged from Birnam’s price of $2,265,916.76 to the Kurtis Smith Excavating Inc. price of $3,348,400. Both tenders excluded HST.

To achieve Boyes’ recommended 8.79 per cent tax rate increase, he proposed the following cuts: removing land clearing at the Bluewater Youth Centre ($50,000), costs associated with the Langlois development ($66,000), work on Community Centre Road ($30,000) and work for the Holmesville Hall parking lot ($42,833). However, to reach the 7.52 per cent tax rate increase scenario, council also implemented Boyes’ next three cost-saving recommendations: removal of the tax stabilization reserve contribution ($50,000), remove Cutter top coat or reduce road reserve contribution ($13,440) and remove Whitehead top coat or reduce road reserve contribution ($41,600).

While the Bluewater Youth Centre land clearing can be scrapped from this year’s budget, Boyes said in his report to council, the municipality would still have to fund a species-at-risk study for the land, resulting in just $50,000 in savings for the project, which has been budgetted at $100,000.

While some councillors had dabbled with the concept of removing or halving two economic development projects - mural updates in Clinton and Destination Central Huron endeavours, budgetted for $30,000 each - those projects remained untouched in the budget.

The total levy for the year, including the 7.52 per cent increase, will equate to a total of $8,857,955.41. This tax rate increase is part of a total levy increase of 9.68 per cent, which results in an additional tax burden of $50.29 per $100,000 of residential assessment and an increase of $106.11 on an average single-family home in Central Huron.

When grouped with the Huron County increase of 6.5 per cent, which was recently approved and finalized by Huron County Council, and a zero per cent increase from local school boards, Boyes said the overall tax rate impact for Central Huron residents in 2023 will be an increase of 6.26 per cent. This results in a total of $719.03 in taxes for Central Huron purposes per $100,000 of assessment in 2023, $500.94 for the county and $153 for the school boards.

Boyes will now prepare a tax rate bylaw including a 7.52 per cent tax rate increase for Central Huron purposes to be considered for adoption at council’s April 24 meeting.

Sympathy is extended to the family of Barb Musty, who passed away on March 21. Barb lived in the area for a few years and then she and Murray moved to Listowel.

Happy birthday to Carla Pawitch, who will celebrate on April 3 and John Stadelmann, who will celebrate on April 5. Hope you both have a good day to celebrate.

Winners of March 20 euchre were: first, Edna McLellan, 78, and Robert Thomas, 75; second, Shirley Wood, 72, and Mac Brooks, 71; lone hands, Veronique Harman, four, and Jewel Plunkett, five, and share the wealth, Gord Haggitt and Donna Walsh.