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GREGGCHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca Council trio wants more business-like budget and Pierre Leroux voted against approval of the 2013 budget report as presented with Mayor Jean-Paul St-Pierre and Coun. Éric He expressed concern that the budget report does not include anything thatwould help generate revenue for the municipality
Bazinet voting for the report. During later interviews the three councillors opposed to the report explained that their main common objection is that the township needs to be more business-like in its municipal budget approach.
but relies more on raising the property tax rate. He credited administration with trying to meet the demands of council in the 2013 budget plan and said one problem for staff may have been a lack of clear direction from council on what they were expected to do.
“Realistically, I believe this administration could have focused on restraint when punching in the numbers and come up with a zero to one- per cent tax increase,” Cullen said.
EMBRUN | The last council meeting of 2012 for Russell Township did not finish with a new budget yet to launch the municipality into 2013. Final approval of the 2013 budget was on the agenda for the Dec. 17 session of council but the evening meeting finished with the budget still unapproved and pushed over to the January session for another review and possible vote. The December meeting saw a registered vote of 3-2 against approval of the final budget report and plan that administration presented. Councillors Craig Cullen, Jamie Laurin
“I always look at it from a business point of view,” said Coun. Leroux. “Two plus two has to equal four.”
“At the end of the day, there’s going to be some tough decision to be made, and it is up to council to make those tough
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Mayor Jean-Paul St.Pierre
decisions,” he said. “I think, honestly, the administration did a fabulous job with the directions they were given.” Coun. Cullen noted that administration needs to take amore business-like approach to budgeting given the current continuing tough times in the economy. “Realistically, I believe this administration could have focused on restraint when punching in the numbers and come up with a zero to one-per cent tax increase,” Cullen said. Coun. Laurin raised two points about the budget that he considered critical. First was council’s decision, by majority vote, during a previous budget review session to put the projected 2012 surplus into the municipal reserves rather than use it as part of the 2013 budget revenue fund. “That could have reduced the (tax rate increase) from 3.91 per cent to about two per cent,” Laurin said. His other chief concern about the 2013 budget report is the plan to allocate $1 million towards infrastructure servicing of the 417 Industrial Park rather than put it towards service improvements for Russell Township’s portion of the Village of Limoges. “Which would then accommodate future commercial and residential growth opportunities,” Laurin said. “Until I see that a comparative study shows me that the 417 Industrial Park is the right choice, I am not going to approve a budget that has that spending in it.” Mayor St-Pierre defended the 2013 budget report presented to council. “The administration and council members worked relentlessly over the three-month budget timeline set by council,” the mayor said, adding that the final report “seems reasonable and balanced.” The mayor noted that the proposed 3.91 per cent increase to the municipal levy portion of the budget would allow for improvements in general operational services, an increase in capital works funding, and cover cost-of-living allowances. “I am hopeful we can work together for the benefit of our citizens,” said Mayor St-Pierre, “in order to reach an agreeable conclusion in the coming weeks.”
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