Three per cent increase as easy as ABCs, Boldt says

Council will tell the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit it’s only willing to provide a five per cent increase over its approved 2005 actual budget, even though the health unit can levy the city for whatever amount it needs.

That news became public at a budget meeting held Thursday night at city hall.

Last month the health unit’s management board had approved the hiring of 19 new personnel as well as a 27 per cent increase for the unit for 2006.

Although there’s an increase for the unit—its total budget is around $14 million—the levy North Bay will have to pay won’t be any higher than 2005 because the province is picking up the tab for the hike.

But because the provincial portion of the health unit has been increased to 65 per cent, the city was hoping to see a $300,000 reduction in the unit’s budget.

“We’re in the middle of a battle with them and we’ve gone to the premier’s office, the MPPs office, the Minister of Health’s office to help us out with this,” Coun. Maureen Boldt, vice-chairwoman of the General Government Committee, said following the meeting.

“We don’t think it’s right and we want to discuss it.”

Coun. Daryl Vaillancourt, one of two council reps on the health unit, said he felt “duped” by Dr. Catherine Whiting during the unit’s budget process.

“I found that things were vetted through the committee in a real convenient way to make sure the budget was approved expeditiously,” Vaillancourt said after Thursday night’s meeting.

“It was put on the table, the board had a very brief discussion about it and it was approved. So do I feel duped? You’re darn right.”

Vaillancourt knows the health unit can just levy the city, but believes the five per cent strategy is the way to go.

“I don’t know if anyone’s done it in Ontario, so we’ll see what happens,” Vaillancourt said.

“But if we stand firm in our position with how much we’re sending them….”

The health unit situation is just one of the things that needs to be resolved among agencies, boards and commissions to make sure the city can bring in a tax increase of three per cent, Boldt said.

Minus the ABCs, the city staff has produced a three per cent increase, Boldt said.

But once the ABC budgets are factored in that increase goes up to 5.98 per cent over 2005.

Boldt said the ABCs need to shave $1.6 million off their budgets collectively to bring the overall tax increase back down to three per cent.

"We're counting on all our councilors who sit on the ABCs to go back to those that have not concluded their budgets and reign them all in, get them to pare down what they're asking to match the city at three per cent," Boldt said.

She added that she sits on the District of Nipissing Social
Services Administration Board and expects DSSAB to approve a $500,000 savings in its budget.

"We have reserves and our staff did a good job of underspending this year, so we're looking as a board how we can return that to the municipalities and reduce their spending as well," Boldt said.

One bit of good news delivered at the budget meeting is that the city has experienced real growth of about 1.3 per cent in assessment, which should generate about $700,000 of additional municipal tax dollars.

A public presentations meeting was scheduled to follow the budget meeting, but nobody from the public showed up.

BayToday.ca has included 16 pages of budget documents from last night's meeting. They can be accessed by clicking on the photo gallery link below.