Like a lot of you Property taxes became more real for me on Friday when I made my payment.
Being on Council, I know that the Township only gets about 26% of what we pay, with the Region getting 60%, and school boards 14%.
It’s pretty clear to me that the 8 to 10% tax increases of the past 4 years are not sustainable. As property owners, we are crying uncle.
I also know the Township will continue to be under financial pressure for this budget and subsequent budgets. We already have a 1% tax increase required for staff wages under the union agreement. We have debenture payments starting that are another 1%. And there is another 1% to make up from the tax billing error. Roughly 3% already. And we know there are deficits in winter control, water and wastewater. We need a new grader that is about $1 million.
When budget prep began in earnest at the Township, my farmers math was telling me that we need to target 5%, and work from there. And then admittedly we took some hits to the budget in Aug with the salt dome and tax billing mistake.
I still think that with belt tightening and looking for efficiencies we can- strike that- we NEED to keep the tax increase to a 5-6% target this year.
I challenge others who say they will support a 3.5% increase to state what services they will cut, and what staff positions will be eliminated. And at what cost?
Leadership matters.