DRYDEN — Dryden's city budget is one step away from being approved.
Dryden city council reviewed the budget, which would include a tax levy increase of 2.65 per cent, at their meeting on Monday.
“It basically came to the need of a $390,000 levy increase,” treasurer Steven Lansdell-Roll told council, “That is the weighted average levy increase. The 2.65 per cent. I’ve noted in my staff report that our industrial broad class the current tax ratio exceeds the provincial threshold of 2.63 per cent. Therefore, any levy increases can only be applied to a maximum of 50 per cent to the industrial class.
Roll explains that industrial property owners will see a rate increase of 1.4 per cent while residential property owners will see a 2.8 per cent change in rate.
“So, if you’re a residential homeowner, you’ll see that that rate has increased by 2.8 per cent,” said Roll.
Two drafts of the budget were presented to the council last in late 2022 and at the direction of council, the finance department was told to find a way to lower the levy increase.
Lansdell-Roll said the finance committee decided it was feasible to eliminate two crossing guard positions based on the construction of two automated pedestrian crossing walks being installed in 2023. The crossing guard position will be eliminated as of Sept 1.
Another way the City is saving money is by utilizing $50,000 from Canada Community Building Funds to support the Connecting Links Hwy 17 Road project.
Lansdell-Roll also touched upon the Nuclear Waste Management Organization's Learn More Program funding and Near-Term Investment Funding as potential cost-saving methods to keep the City’s tax levy from going past 2.65 percent.
Coun. Catherine Kiewning asked Lansdell-Roll if the city will continue to see experience a levy increase over the next few years, to which the treasurer said it’s reasonable to expect rate increases every year because would costs will continue to rise.
Lansdell-Roll said he expects inflation to continue to increase costs for the city. The budget report states that union and non-unionized labour will increase by 2.75 per cent and a 15 per cent increase in insurance premiums due to inflation.
“These types of inflationary pressures we are going to experience each and every year, but we are always going to do our best to minimize the impact on our property owners,” Lansdell-Roll said.
Dryden council will meet on Jan. 23 to vote on the final version of the draft budget.
