Despite a small increase in the Saugeen Conservation budget for 2010 — Saugeen Shores is taking a huge hit.
Conservation Authority Chair Doug Freiburger says their budget went up just over two per cent which equals a little more than 19 thousand dollars.
He says on a 2 million dollar budget — that is a very fiscally responsible increase.
However because of a change by the province in reassessment formulas — Saugeen Shores will pay a whopping 25 thousand dollars more in 2010 — while several other member municipalities will see significant decreases in their portion of the levy.
Freiburger says it amounts to a nine per cent increase for Saugeen Shores.
He says its all because of bureaucrats in Toronto reassessing properties and municipalities inappropriately.
Freiburger — who’s also a Saugeen Shores Councillor — says he and councillor Luke Charbonneau will head to Toronto in the new year to talk to the Ministry of Natural Resources about changing the formula.
He says everyone should be paying the same amount because everyone benefits equally from conservation.
Other municipalities seeing an increase in their conservation levy this year include Chatsworth at about a thousand dollars and Huron Kinloss at five thousand.
Meanwhile South Bruce is seeing a decrease of more than 3 thousand dollars, while Hanover and Southgates both drop about 25 hundred.
Freiburger says the 2 per cent increase in the Conservation Authority’s budget will just cover cost increases of fuel, heat and insurance.