This week's lead news item

NG council satisfied with eight-per-cent net requirement hike

By Pete Bock
News Staff

The proposed increase to North Glengarry’s net requirement in 2012 is $300,921, the third biggest in the past 10 years.
Only the $699,902 hike in 2004, and the $323,179 total in 2002 were larger. (See related chart.)
The upsurge in the amount of revenue to be collected from taxpayers for municipal purposes equals just over eight per cent, and as it stands, pushes the bottom line up to $4,040,921, from $3,740,000.
The draft budget totals were tabulated during a marathon cost-cutting session on Wednesday.
And although taxpayers face a significant increase, the consensus at the table was the budget process was nearing completion.
“We are done,” and, “we have just a little bit of work to be done,” were comments made at the end of last week’s four-hour meeting.
Council scheduled a final session for yesterday, Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Mayor Chris McDonell’s comments to treasurer Annie Levac showed he was pleased with last week’s outcome.
“So that is it, Annie,” the mayor said, “2..2 is pretty good.”
But Deputy-Mayor Jamie MacDonald jumped in immediately and reminded everyone that the 2.2 per cent hike in the tax rate is much less than the sting that taxpayers are going to feel.
“The taxes are up,” Deputy-Mayor MacDonald said, “we are also getting 5.95 per cent on assessment.”
Councillor Carma Williams agreed.
“Yeah, add that right on there,” she said.
The hike in the tax rate, coupled with rising assessment numbers, is leading to the significant increase in the amount of revenue to be collected from taxpayers.
Still, the deputy-mayor stated that council should be proud of its efforts. He pointed to the net requirement numbers between 2006 and 2011.
“I think we have been good stewards of the tax system,” Deputy-Mayor MacDonald said, “because in (the previous five) years we have gone up less than $200,000.”
“Yet we keep getting told, ‘Everything is going up, everything is going up.’ ... Yes, we are going to have to go up 2.2. I don’t see any way around it, but we have done very well over the last (five) years. We have never increased the tax rate, this may be the first time.”
Council went through the budget line-by-line to get the net requirement down to $4,040,921.
The treasurer’s initial draft proposed the township collect $4,343,996 from taxpayers.
Two proposed road capital projects totalling $120,000 were the biggest cuts. Scrapped was $65,000 for McCormick Road repairs and another $55,000 for Robert Street in Alexandria.
The fire department’s proposed $389,000 capital budget took a $30,000 hit. Each of the three departments hoped to acquire a stationary generator estimated at a $15,000 cost.
Councillor Gary Shepherd suggested the township should instead buy one each year, for the next three years.
The economic development department had its operating budget cut by $30,000, to roughly $130,000, or $5,000 below last year’s total of $135,000.
Most of the reductions were small-ticket items, amounting to $5,000 or less.
Deputy-Mayor MacDonald recommended the majority of the reductions.
Council members cut the total alloted to them for conventions and expenses by $5,000, or 15 per cent.
Treasurer Levac’s budget report showed the township is receiving $35,700 less provincial funding in 2012 through the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund.
To hold the line on municipal taxes, township officials would have had to have kept the net requirement increase to slightly less than $40,000.
This sum equates roughly to the 0.93 per cent jump in assessment, due to growth in the past year from new construction.
The North Glengarry property tax bill is divided into three portions: municipal, upper tier (the United Counties of SD&G) and education (school boards).
Council deals with the municipal portion.
The breakdown of the bill in 2011 was as follows: 43 per cent for the United Counties, 33 per cent to North Glengarry, and 24 per cent for education.