Government regulation allows Township to draw down surplus by $75,000

Craig Bakay | May 11, 2022

Addington Highlands Council passed the Township’s 2022 budget at its regular meeting May 3 but before it did that, it took advantage of Ontario Regulation 284/09, which allows a municipality to exclude from its annual budget estimated expenses for 1) amortization, 2) post-employment benefits and 3) solid waste landfill closure expenses.

“Does this have any impact?” said Coun. David Miles. “It’s numbers moving from one place to another.

“Does it mean anything?”

Dep. Treasurer Natalie Tryon said the net result of excluding the above impacts would be a budgeted deficit of $75,000, intended to draw down the general surplus, excluding consideration of capital grants received.

“Yes, it will deplete our surplus by $75,000 but our surplus is about $1 million,” she said. “The Township is in good shape but we still need to put money in surplus because there will things like road work to be done.”

The exclusion of any of those expenses has an impact on future tangible capital funding requirements of the Township, Tryon said in her report.

The 2022 consolidated budget includes estimated operating expenditures of $6,843,688.59, estimated pre-levy revenues of $1,506,692 and an Ontario Municipal Partnership fund grant of $2,053,400. The net amount to levy is $3,283,596.39 which is an increase of 4.25 per cent over last year.

Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance

Council decided to hold a meeting with Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance representatives (Addington Highlands board member Bill Cox and General Manager Cindy Cassidy) following a letter from Verona District ATV Club President Marc Moeys asking for access to the Tay Havelock Trail through Addington Highlands.

In his letter, Moeys said: “You advised me to negotiate a deal with the EOTA (who) responded with a proposed agreement that would allow only Verona ATV club members access to the trail and not the OFATV in general.

“This issue and an unfair insurance clause prevent me from agreeing to the proposed deal.”

“Instead of hashing this out in open forum, we need to do it as a committee of some sort,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.

“I had hoped EOTA and this group would work it out,” said Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch. “I’m not keen on superseding an agreement we have with one group to the benefit of another.

“We need to hear from EOTA so we can understand the politics of all this.”

Wind Turbines

Council decided to have staff approach the Multi-Municipal Wind Turbine Working Group on the subject of setbacks and “to see if there is anything else we would want to be doing.”

“It’s like stepping on a hill of worms,” said Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch.

“It’s like kicking a hornets nest,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.

“There are a number of controversies but I support enhanced provincial setbacks,” said Fritsch.

Support Ukraine

Four out of the five Council members voted to endorse the Township of Gravenhurst’s resolution denouncing “Russia’s unjustifiable war against Ukraine and supporting the sanctions which the federal government of Canada has thus far imposed on Russia.”

Coun. David Miles abstained, thus registering a ‘no’ vote.

“My heart goes out to the people who are suffering,” Miles said. “But it’s difficult to choose a side.

“The leader in Ukraine, he’s the guy that executed all his opposition.”

High Speed Internet

When Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch optimistically touted MPP Daryl Kramp’s letter promising high-speed internet access to the area by 2025 saying “they’re supposed to start soon up our way,” Reeve Henry Hogg had this to say: “Up our way was supposed to start last fall and I haven’t seen a shovel yet.”