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Township aims for five-per-cent budget increase By Liz Dadson |
Huron-Kinloss council To Comment on this article Click Here |
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| Huron-Kinloss is hoping to bring in a tax increase of five-per-cent or less. Council took an initial stab at the budget Feb. 12 and was faced with some startling statistics. Treasurer Jodi MacArthur reported that if the township were to continue with the same level of services as last year and bring in a balanced budget, the tax increase would be 15.63 per cent. In order to have a zero increase for 2010, council would have to chop $633,849.66 from the budget, she said. In addition, council was considering the Bruce Beach Drain project in response to complaints about road flooding and potholes on Bruce Beach Road between Concession 8 and Highland Drive, due to water seepage. Public works director Hugh Nichol had signed a petition to initiate drainage works there. The cost for the municipal drain would be about $220,000, plus the upgrade to the road which was $230,000, for a total cost of $450,000. MacArthur said council decided to put the project on hold for now, and Nichol was to remove his name from the municipal drain petition. A letter will go out to the residents and that section of Bruce Beach Road will be viewed during the spring road tour. On the capital side, council is looking at chopping a grader purchase and reducing the amount of paving to be done, said MacArthur Staff has been directed to cut as much as required to keep the tax hike at five per cent or less, she said. The next budget meeting will likely be at the end of March once the township knows what its actual policing costs are, as well as the Bruce County levy and the education levy which form the overall tax rate. During budget talks, Ripley fire chief Doug Martyn pointed out to council that he could look into getting a deal on heavy hydraulic equipment, but he expects the cost of bunker gear to be $10,000 more than was estimated in the initial budget. "It's going to be closer to $42,000 now, rather than $32,000," he said. Council gave him approval to travel to Mississauga and consider purchasing re-conditioned equipment at a better price. Facilities and recreation director Mike Fair said his department is always on the look-out for grant applications for capital improvements. He agreed to put only $12,000 into reserve, and knock out an extra $20,000 in order to help bring in a lower tax rate. "We have to cut a lot out of the budget," said councillor Anne Eadie. "Yes," agreed mayor Mitch Twolan, 'this is not a year to do retrofit." As for the Lucknow Community Centre, MacArthur said staff has not heard from the group that had come to council, urging the township to take over the utility costs while the group fixed up the facility. "We should at least see an income statement from them," said Twolan. "Otherwise, we're not paying for this. They haven't kept up their end of the bargain. MacArthur said the group's fund-raising efforts went well and it received a Trillium Foundation grant to cover the cost of part of the work.
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Council agreed to take the $19,000 for operating costs of the Lucknow
complex, out of the budget for now until the township finds out what
this group's plans are. "We've seen a decrease in the cost of operating this building," said MacArthur, "but because we receive the bills, the group doesn't know what it costs." Council agreed to send a letter, inviting the group to the March general committee meeting. If there is no response, then the township will forward the operating expenses to the group. Regarding the Lucknow Town Hall, Twolan said Bruce County has proposed to give three per cent more to the libraries throughout the county. The Lucknow Library is located in this building. Fair said the township will apply for a Trillium grant to fix the front facade and the windows of the Lucknow Town Hall, as well as put in a chair lift and fix the steps inside and out. In other council news:
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