Callander’s budget calls for a tax increase of 1.96 per cent

Callander council has passed the 2022 municipal budget and taxes are going up by 1.96 per cent. Water and sewer rates will see a 2.1 per cent increase. The municipality had planned to pass the 2022 budget in December, and staff had a draft prepared for council’s consideration at that time— “it was ready to go,” explained Ashley Bilodeau, Callander’s municipal director.

However, the municipality was undergoing contract negotiations with the Ontario Provincial Police in December, and the initial quote from the OPP was higher than the town expected—around $1.2 million—which sent staff back to work on the budget.

“Thankfully, these issues were resolved quickly,” the municipality explained in a recent release when the OPP presented a cheaper option for service costing $375,000 annually. With that news, the municipality passed its budget on January 25, “the earliest council has passed an annual budget.”

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But the budget work was not over yet. On March 22, council reviewed some recommendations by staff as “more detailed information became available” regarding contract prices and recent grants from the government.

“The modification resulted in no changes to the proposed tax rate” established in January, and a by-law was passed to set those rates in stone.

Staff explained “the key factors impacting this budget” include increased costs for insurance, municipal contracts, and gas and heating “due to current trends in the market.” The municipality also received additional revenue from the province through funds to help offset the effects of Covid-19 and the modernization fund.

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The municipality also “received substantial funding this year” from the provincial and federal governments “which will allow the municipality to achieve its plans and objectives much sooner.” Specifically, these funds will allow for more work on the town’s downtown waterfront revitalization strategy.

Part of this strategy includes installing new playground equipment at Centennial Park. Other major projects scheduled for this year include new entrance signs, resurfacing McDonald Road, and adding new software to the municipal website that will allow residents to view their tax and utility bills online.

See: Federal money washes into Callander’s waterfront

“The municipality as a whole is so grateful for the funding,” explained Bilodeau. “We’re doing great” financially and work is already underway for next year’s budget— “I have a file on my desk that I keep adding items to, so I won’t forget” when the drafting sessions begin. “It’s a big process.”

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David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.