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Tax rate could rise over two per cent in 2018
ALEXIA MARSILLO alexia.marsillo@eap.on.ca
are now forced to pay the large commercial rate, but do not produce as much garbage as a full-on business. The current budget is $40.6 million, an increase of more than $1.1million from last year. However, the City of Clarence-Rockland is facing a number of unexpected hurdles this year, such as Ontario’s Bill 148 and the costs of the spring flooding. Bill 148, which proposes a minimumwage hike to $15 and changes to minimum hours per shift for
The City of Clarence-Rockland is in the pro- cess of preparing its 2018 budget these day and so far, the projected tax rate increase is 2.6 per cent. The Clarence-Rockland municipal council held three meetings last week to discuss the draft of the 2018 budget. Discus- sions will resume next week, Wednesday,
November 29 and Thursday, November 30. All meetings are open to the public. Should the tax rate increase by 2.6
part-time employees, will have the largest impact on the tax rate for the City. If Bill 148 is passed without fur-
So far, the projected tax rate increase is 2.6 per cent.
per cent, additional landowner contribu- tions to the budget would be approximately $484,000. The average bill for a taxpayer whose house is valued at $290,000, would increase by $48. Added to this is an increase of $23 for the average water consumption. Another item up for discussion is the residential and commercial rates for weekly garbage bag and bin pickup.The 2018 budget proposes a 75 per cent increase – from$571 to $1000 – for the minimum commercial bin rate and an almost 41 per cent hike for commercial bins based on tonnage – up from $35.50 to $50 a ton. Council has asked the administration to re-evaluate these “harsh” hikes and to also assess the possibility of a separate garbage rate for home-based busi- nesses. Home-based businesses in the City
ther amendments, Clarence-Rockland will need to increase its budget by an additional $1.7 million, or 9.35 per cent. The costs of the flooding in May, which include costs of damages and additional salaries awarded to employees for overtime, will also have an upward impact on the City’s finances. The total cost of the spring floods amounted to $800,000, of which the City expects $652,000 from the Province under the Municipal Di- saster Recovery Assistance (MDRA) pro- gram– leaving the City with a non-budgeted expense of $148,000. Upon completing review of the draft next week City council will then hold one final meeting onDecember 4 to finalize the 2018 budget.
La Cité de Clarence-Rockland est actuellement en train de préparer son budget pour 2018. L’augmentation prévue du taux d’imposition pourrait être de 2,6 %. Le budget actuellement à l’étude affiche des dépenses de 40,6M$, soit une augmentation de plus de 1,1 M$ comparativement à l’an dernier. Cependant, la Cité de Clarence-Rockland fait face à plusieurs obstacles inattendus cette année, notamment le projet de loi 148 de l›Ontario et les coûts des inondations printanières. Après avoir terminé la révision du budget la semaine prochaine, le mercredi 29 novembre et le jeudi 30 novembre, le conseil municipal tiendra une réunion définitive le 4 décembre. —photo fournie
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