It’s official.
Last night, city council ratified the 2019 budget which translates into a 3.25 per cent tax hike for city residents.
That means you will pay $39.65 more on your tax bill for every $100,000 worth of assessment for your home.
Monday night was, in essence, a rubber stamping of decisions made by councillors over four-plus days of budget deliberations over the past two weeks.
Several decisions were pulled out of the pile by various councillors but, in the end, none of that led to any rulings that changed the bottom line.
Councillors did agree to remove two conditions they jha previously attached to funding to The Sharing Place Food Bank.
Rather than make the funding contingent on support from the townships and on the agency's ability to raise 75 per cent of its fund-raising target for their new building, council agreed to provide the $150,000 with no strings attached.
There was also significant debate about the proposed refrigerated skate trail at Couchiching Beach Park.
During capital budget deliberations, councillors agreed to invest $60,000 to study the idea and create a design plan for developing a skate trail at Couchiching Beach Park.
Coun. Jay Fallis said since that decision was made, he delved into the issue further and that only cemented his view that the skate trail was not the best plan.
On Monday night, he reiterated that such an initiative would be “counter productive” and said he would rather see the city invest in outdoor rinks.
But Mayor Steve Clarke defended the concept, saying it was necessary to create “vibrancy” at the park during non-peak times.
He said such a feature would be attractive to future residents who will live in the area once waterfront development occurs.
The mayor, who is fighting the roller-coaster weather while trying to create his own backyard rink, said refrigeration is necessary to extend the skating season.
Clarke also stressed the timing is right because the city is on its “strongest financial footing in many years.”
In the end, only Coun. Fallis, Coun. Mason Ainsworth and Coun. Tim Lauer voted against the initiative.
Ainsworth reiterated his concerns about the price, noting the trail is estimated to cost $3 million while annual operating costs are expected to be in the $150,000 range.
While several other items were discussed, there was no change of direction on any of the matters.
That means the city’s operating budget will be $58.2 million this year, while the capital budget tops out at $30 million.
“We’ve heard loud and clear that Orillia residents want us to invest in core services and this budget certainly does that by adding resources to our winter control operations, ensuring our fleet is in good working condition now and into the future, and addressing essential infrastructure needs,” Clarke said in a media release.
As we’ve reported in recent days, the city faced some significant requestsfor funding support.
In the end, the city agreed to contribute $15,940 to the Child Advocacy Centre Simcoe/Muskoka-Orillia, $150,000 to the Mariposa Folk Festival (over three years along with waiving of fees), $500,000 towards a CT scanner for Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, $150,000 towards Mariposa House Hospice capital costs, and $150,000 to The Sharing Place for the purchase of a new facility.
The city also agreed to invest $2.7-million in the widening (to five lanes) of West Ridge Boulevard from Bass Lake Sideroad East to Hunter Valley Road, the $6.5-million reconstruction of Front Street south and $3.6-million to service the Inch Farm lands to accommodate residential growth and open up new employment lands.
Your water bill will also be rising in 2019 now that the budget has been ratified.
Council approved water and wastewater rates that will see an increase of approximately $45 (6 per cent) annually to a typical Orillia home using 160 cubic metres of water.
Council also raised residential stormwater rates per 30-day period by $1.06 in 2019 and 2020 (additional $12.60 per year) and industrial and commercial stormwater rates per 30-day period by $11.61 in 2019 and 2020 (additional $141.26 per year).
