The Region of Queens has passed a $44 million dollar budget without raising taxes.
The budget includes $27.3 million for operations, $14.4 million for capital projects, $1.7 million to operate Hillsview Acres long term care home and $798,000 for the water utility.
Residential property tax rates for 2023/24 have been set at a base of $1.07 for Districts 1-12 and $1.92 for district 13 per $100 of assessment. Commercial rates have been set at $2.17 in Districts 1-12 and $3.02 in District 13 per $100 of assessment. Those rates can vary depending on if a resident or business is in a zone that applies a premium to connect to municipal services or charges an area rate to fund the efforts of community organizations.
In an unusual move, council members voted to take $442,835 from their surplus account to balance the operational budget and avoid raising taxes.
Mayor Darlene Norman is worried that decision may come back to bite them next year. “This has to be a one-time only thing. That $433,000 represents a four-cent tax rate increase,” said Norman. “Council chose not to do a four-cent tax rate increase and instead we’ve taken that operational money out of surplus. These operational costs do not go away, and they will be here next year.”
Norman is concerned pulling money from reserves to cover the operational costs this year just moves the problem into next year’s budget. “When you’re not bringing in enough revenue to balance your expenses and you have to cut into side money, then are you really balancing your revenue with your expenses?” said Norman.
On the capital side of the budget, residents have a few big-ticket items to look forward to in 2023/24. Some projects are ongoing such as the $3 million that has been set aside for the construction of a new library to replace the aging Thomas H Raddall Library in Liverpool.
The municipality is still trying to iron out a plan for the construction of a new outdoor pool.
Two million has been allocated from the Region to be added to the $3 million private donation to fund the pool’s construction.
A project manager has been hired to see if those two projects can be tied together and built alongside Queens Place Emera Centre.
The Region is also setting aside money for a couple of studies: one will look at extending the water infrastructure around Mt Pleasant for $137,000; another will see the municipality spend $175,000 to explore the possibility of moving the sidewalk to the outside of the bridge in Liverpool.
The budget also made clear the Region’s expenses are on the rise. Policing costs for RCMP are up $200,000.
Queens also needs to increase the amount being placed in reserve for the eventual closure of the municipal landfill.
The landfill cell currently in use is scheduled to close in 10 years and a new one opened in its place.* The initial estimate for that effort was originally pegged at $8.5 million but as prices have continued to rise that estimate is now closer to $19 million, three times the original amount.
*An earlier version of this story indicated the landfill was set to close in ten years. Mayor Norman has clarified she meant to indicate the cell was closing, to be replaced by opening another.
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