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02 | 04 | 2016 VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 05
GREASE IS THE WORD FOR KWMP IN ST. JACOBS ARTS PAGE 17
COMMENT PAGE 6
ELECTION FINANCE REFORM IS LONG OVERDUE
Wellesley approves 2016 budget, with tax increase of 2.443%
www.OBSERVERXTRA.com
WEATHER MILD, RIVER WILD
LIZ BEVAN WELLESLEY HOMEOWNERS WILL PAY an additional $23 this year on the township portion of their tax bills, as councillors meeting Tuesday night approved a 2.443 per cent tax increase. The increase stayed the course set out after the special budget meeting on Jan. 19, with an increase of $22.87 per year, or $1.90 a month, based on the average residence valued at $318,000. The tax hike will see the township’s budget grow by $100,009 in 2016, explained treasurer Theresa Bisch. The budget portion of the regular council meeting started with a public meeting, but no Wellesley ratepayers showed up. The total revenue expected for Wellesley in 2016 is $7,341,866 – $4,273,872 coming from taxes, just over $1 million in general revenue, and $742,850 coming from recreation. Every dollar is accounted for this year, with expenditures matching revenue. The township is planning on spending the most money in public works with an expenditure of WELLESLEY | 28
This low-level bridge on Three Bridges Road in St. Jacobs was closed this week due to flooding brought on by melting snow and rainfall.
Councillors whittle down spending, tax increase to fall to 2.88% Woolwich looking at total spending of about $28 million as it gets set to pass 2016 budget next week
STEVE KANNON WOOLWICH RESIDENTS WILL SEE a 2.88 per cent tax hike this year – a general 1.33 per cent increase, and 1.5 for a special infrastructure levy – as councillors tweaked the numbers at the final budget session Jan. 28. That would add $19.67 a year to the township portion of the tax levied on a home assessed at a value of $302,000, the region’s household average. Total operating expenses have been pegged at around $15 million, while the township plans for capital spending approaching $13 million.
[WHITNEY NEILSON / THE OBSERVER]
Dropping some unneeded spending, particularly $68,000 for a communications staffer, allowed councillors to fit in some unbudgeted items and still reduce the overall tax hit from a forecasted 3.6 per cent. They found $15,000 for traffic-calming measures, for instance, and $20,000 each for a sump pump replacement program (working with homeowners in cases where sump pumps are discharging water onto roadways, creating erosion concerns, icing up sidewalks, and the like) and a new directional signage effort in the township. Having appointed a heritage committee, the work of many years, coun-
cil was able to dig up the $4,000 needed to let the group get going. While most of the budget items passed without scrutiny, some councillors worked to get the additional items in, subtracting others with the goal of focusing on the public rather than internal administration. As with previous special budget meetings, last week’s council session saw heightened sensitivity to more than $60 million in infrastructure needs, a long-term view. Looking to control tax increases, Coun. Larry Shantz suggested putting the infrastructure levy BUDGET | 4