Tax levy up 1.31%

While some members of council were proud of the 1.31 percent tax levy increase approved last night, describing it as one of the lowest increases over the years—others around the table, like Coun. Tanya Vrebosch showed reluctance, or like councillors Mark King and Mike Anthony, showed no support at all.

Immediately coming into the discussion, King, the chair of community services, was not pleased with the decision made by council to shift $175,000 of the police services costs for 911 dispatch onto the fire department.

This shuffling of costs was done in response to the initial police service budget increase of 8.8 percent, a number no member of council was pleased with earlier in the budget process. The police budget now sits at 3.61 percent.

And while Vrebosch supported the budget, it was only to see city processes move forward. She made sure to bring up her concerns for the future years; something she felt was neglected during this year’s budget.

“I think we’re patting ourselves on the back—it’s an election budget,” she said. “But I think we’re putting pressure on the next years. All these challenges we know are coming and we’re leaving them to the next council.”

Her concerns were in decisions to pass capital projects like the splash pad and fire training centre without having any idea of future operating costs, the decision for council to erase the communications position from the city because they couldn’t fill it (leaving the decision to the next council), as well as WSIB surcharges for the police, among others.

Despite this, Deputy mayor Sheldon Forgette and Coun. Derek Shogren were proud of the budget, as well as the budgets this council as a whole have passed over the four years.

“I’m proud of the fact that over four years our average levy increase is 1.7 percent,” Shogren said. “It’s the lowest four-year increase in any city in Northern Ontario.”

However, a large portion of the budget increase was significantly offset by the surprise injection in the form of an additional $1.5 million in Northern Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF), which Coun. Chris Mayne described as “better than Christmas.”