Georgian Bluffs’ 2021 draft budget calls for a tax increase of nearly five per cent.
Township council reviewed the draft budget at a recent special meeting. The proposed combined tax increase is 4.86 per cent. That will cost an extra $77.90 on annual tax bills for the average assessed property at just over $289,000.
The proposed operating budget for the township is just over $11.1-million, with $10.5-million funded through taxation. Georgian Bluffs’ 2021 capital program includes $3.7-million in spending, more than $1.9-million of that funded by the levy.
Within the budget, the township identified what they plan to spend on various upgrades, these include:
-$690,000 for road treatment
-$385,000 for replacing fleet vehicles
-$200,000 for bridge maintenance and construction
-$91,300 for Derby Maintenance Depot upgrades
-$17,000 for Derby Community Centre upgrades
-$115,000 for park replacements, including Derby playground, park signage, picnic tables, and animal proof waste receptacles
-$150,000 for pathway replacements at Derby and Family Park
-$64,000 for airport maintenance
The full list of upgrades, maintenance and replacements can be viewed online.
The budget breaks down where your tax dollars are going, 38 per cent are designated to public works, 20 per cent for general government, 11 per cent for police, 10 per cent for recreational facilities, five per cent for garbage and recycling as well as the fire department, four per cent for planning, building and bylaw, three per cent for the airport, two per cent for the library, and one per cent each for biodigestor and conservation.
In addition to upgrades and maintenance, an amount of the budget has also been designated for salary increases, with 2.2 per cent for council, 1.4 per cent for union workers, and 0.7 per cent for non-union.