by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
WHITEWATER REGION – Whitewater Region council had an opportunity to review the draft 2019 operating budget at a special council meeting last night.
Treasurer Sean Crozier reviewed the draft with managers taking over for their own departments.
Total revenue and expenditures for the township this year is $8,792,367, not including water and wastewater as those have their own budgets. (Whitewater News published a story on those budgets in the Feb. 7 issue.)
He noted this draft calls for a five percent levy increase over last year, which amounts to $246,821. The levy is the amount of taxes collected. He noted that 77 percent of that is due to a 15 percent decrease, or $174,000, in provincial grants and an increase to the OPP budget of 1.5 percent, or $16,000.
One of the key highlights of the proposal show that streets lights will go from being area rated to all property owners paying. Public works manager Janet Collins explained that no matter who you are in Whitewater Region, at some point you will use the street lights, whether because you are shopping or just visiting.
There is also the cost of living increase to all salaries, .5 percent for union and one percent for non-union, which includes council.
It’s expected there will be less dependence on consultants and contracted services; the beach program at Cobden will be reinstated, the Community Improvement Plan and Community Partnership grants will continue and there is growth, which is important if services are to be continued.
Mr. Crozier noted the 2019 taxable assessment in the township is $954,523,788. The township is “heavily reliant” on residential and farmland for the taxes collected, with 75 percent and 18 percent, respectively.
“We are approaching $1 billion in assessed value,” he said.
Revenue for the township includes 64 percent from taxation, 15 percent from Ontario grants, two percent federal grants, 18 percent fees and charges and 1 percent from Ottawa River Power Corporation and solar panel.
The operating expenses show 23 percent is protective services, which is policing and fire. Mr. Crozier noted that of $1.8 million budget, just over $1 million is for policing alone. The other expenses are general government, 15 percent; development and planning, two percent; transportation, 36 percent; environmental, nine percent; and recreation and tourism, 15 percent.
The breakdown of the budget shows Council $230,000; Administration $991,600; Administration Building $41,750; fire department $568,100; policing $1,096,500; emergency measures $19,000; building administration $137,000; building department $1,000; animal control $24,470; bylaw enforcement $14,450; planning $164,300; transportation $2,859,505; streetlights $116,000; crossing guards, $30,000; airport $17,500; sewer distribution and transmission $509,542; recycling $184,000; waste $151,000; landfills $277,950; parks $169,000; tourist booth $19,000; beach program $24,100; tourism $97,000; Arenas $350,783 – Cobden $$283,000, Beachburg $210,500, Westmeath $140,000; library $77,000; recreation $164,000; museum $7,300; industrial park $16,000; and drainage $127,800.
Chief Administrative Officer Robert Tremblay said it’s expected seven summer students will be hired, which is less than last year because full time arena staff will be cutting grass. It’s expected there will be three roads students to assist with cold patching and other summer maintenance; two beach students who are lifeguards to assist with programming and the lending hub; one tourism student to assist with the tourist booth and events and one student for protective services to assist with building, fire and emergency management.
CAO Tremblay is hopeful they can hire university/college students because they can begin working in May.
“We had great success last year,” he said.
The township has 30 full time employees, CAO Tremblay said.
Mr. Crozier said under Council, of $230,000, this includes salaries of $140,000 and an integrity commissioner, which the township is required to have by March 1.
In administration and administration building, totalling $1,033,350, the contract for cleaning has been eliminated and a staff member is taking on that job; and there will be continued investment in advertising, health, safety and the website.
Chief Jonathan Wilker said expenses for the $568,100 budget include firefighters’ salaries, and they are now on the non-union grid, WSIB, investment in maintenance, debt charges and insurance. He noted 19 more firefighters were hired in January, bringing the complement to 75.
CAO Tremblay noted the planning department of $164,300 includes hiring a planner/economic development officer, a review of the zoning bylaw and the Community Improvement Plan, which includes Phase 1 (main streets) and Phase 2 (septic and agriculture), which is new for 2019.
Ms. Collins reviewed the environmental services, which includes waste, landfills and recycling, drainage and industrial park. The largest expense in the waste department is curbside pickup, she said.
The capital study for the industrial park potable water should be completed this year, she said. This system originally began as fire suppression, but is now used for other things, except for drinking.
Community services manager Jordan Durocher reviewed the recreation and tourism departments.
He said there are three positive things in recreation, which includes swimming at Cobden beach, providing a home for the lending hub and the beach program in general.
The parks department is now responsible for grass cutting. It’s not yet known if it will save money, because it has been contracted out in the past, he said. There is $20,000 set aside for capital, which includes a commercial lawn mower and a push mower. The current commercial lawn mower has been taken out of storage and was overhauled for $1,800.
The tourist department will continue to use the “very successful” volunteer program to operate the booth from May to August and will also have StreetStrut and Taste of the Valley.
The roads department is the largest expense departmentally at just over $2 million, Ms. Collins said.
The next steps for budget discussions is the capital, reserves and debts to be reviewed at the Feb. 20 meeting and a public meeting on March 6 to review all the budgets.
It’s expected the tax rates will be known by early May.
