Clearview Township staff has been tasked with trimming the budget in order to offer a more palatable tax increase to residents.
Council has directed staff to rework the budget and come back with an overall increase of 1.95 per cent or less, down from the 3.2 per cent originally presented.
The increase is to be calculated using assumed tax rates from the county and school boards.
Council approved the direction adding a caveat that staff is to use no more than $120,000 from reserves to balance the budget.
The motion was tabled by Deputy Mayor Barry Burton toward the end of a four-hour budget meeting Monday afternoon at town hall in Stayner.
“At the end of the day, people look at the net increase,” said Burton…“Budgets are budgets and we have to be fiscally responsible here.”
He said council should rely on staff to come up with the reductions.
In order to reach the 1.95 per cent increase threshold, staff will need to come up with a $140,000 reduction in spending or added revenue from non-tax sources.
Staff and council went back and forth trying to get the other to identify areas where cuts could be made.
Council members came up with a list of suggestions on items that could be removed from the budget including forgoing added library hours, not hiring a full-time communications and marketing coordinator this year and a reduction in transfer to reserves. Fire Chief Colin Shewell also identified a reduction in new equipment purchases and council didn’t show much support for a $10,000 expenditure for camera equipment to record council meetings. The omissions would add up to just over $300,000.
Councillor Thom Paterson was the only person to oppose the motion. He too wanted to reduce the budget and have staff identify reduced spending but through a two per cent decrease in tax-supported spending, as a review of services, while keeping reserve allocations intact.
In the initial draft budget, Clearview Township staff projects just over $23 million in revenues, 56 per cent of which is from property taxes. Paterson was proposing to reduce that $12.9-million in property tax revenue by two per cent.
Councillor Kevin Elwood was the only person to support his motion that asked staff to identify about $259,000 in reduced spending of taxation dollars.
“We should get ourselves in the mindset of controlling our spending,” said Paterson. “It’s easy to spend money when times are good. It’s harder to control in times like these.”
In 2015, Clearview Township is facing a reduction in provincial funding, through the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund and is attempting to reduce its reliance on reserves.
Councillor Shawn Davidson acknowledged that staff has already trimmed the budget in an attempt to make up for the shortfall.
“You did good, you just haven’t done great so trim it up,” said Davidson.
Because of the municipal election, council got a late start on the budget and staff was feeling the crunch as the public meeting date is fast approaching.
Paterson is hoping to get support for a service review this spring, in planning for next year’s budget and the next several years.
The next time council sees the draft budget is when it goes before the public on Feb. 9.
The public meeting is at 7 p.m. at town hall in Stayner. Council will make revisions based on public input at a fourth and final budget workshop on March 2 before voting on the final document that night.
Council hashes out community assistance grants
Councillors debated allocations of $22,800 in community assistance grants as part of budget deliberations Monday.
A sub-committee of council had total allocations down to $19,900 but council added recipients, bringing it up to $20,650.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Georgian Triangle $1,000
• Breaking Down Barriers $500
• Brentwood Horticultural Society $700
• Bruce Trail kiln project $1,000
• Clearview Community Radio $250
• Clearview Community Theatre $1,750
• Clearview Stayner Food Bank $2,000
• Creemore Cats $250
• Creemore Horticultural Society $700
• Crime Stoppers Simcoe-Dufferin-Muskoka $250
• Duntroon Stayner Road Race $500
• Georgian Triangle Anglers Association $250
• Georgian Triangle Housing Resource Centre $1,500
• Highlands Youth for Christ/The Door $2,000
• Hospice Georgian Triangle $1,000
• Magic of Children in the Arts $250
• Mathew Buie – rower $250
• My Friend’s House $1,000
• Creemore Legion – Canada Day event $500
• Singhampton Park Committee $500
• South Simcoe 4-H $250
• St. Luke’s Gift of Music $250
• Stayner Chamber of Commerce $500
• Stayner Heritage Society $300
• Stayner Horticultural Society $700
• Teddy Bears Picnic Children’s Centre $1,000
• Tin Roof Global $500
Council also entertained a late request for $1,000 from the Cybergnomes competitive robotics team.
Council agreed to move a $1,000 request for roof repairs to the Stayner Lawn Bowling facility under general maintenance.
Many organizations were not granted all of the money they requested.
Council denied Clearview Community Policing $15,878 for radar speed signs, $1,000 for Clearview Soccer Club, saying the club is already subsidized through park and recreation, $1,000 for Theatre Collingwood, $500 for Imaginarium art camp, $500 for the Creemore Santa Claus parade and $500 for the Clearview Sheep Club.
The balance of the fund, $2,150, will be used to address requests that come up throughout the year.