Central Frontenac Budget

Brent Cameron | Mar 16, 2016

As all of you know, Central Frontenac Council has not yet passed the 2016 budget. Everyone is still working to deliver a number that balances the needs of the municipality with your ability to afford what you pay. I don’t claim to speak for anyone other than myself on this issue, but I feel that confusion has been created by what I would call “dueling percentages.”

Initially, we were presented with something that would see taxes increase by about 2.0%. Given last year’s increase was 3.5% and we still have to deal with the large hikes in OPP costs, I thought this was good. A few days later, I read that we were looking at an increase of closer to 8%. There are different names for different things – tax levy, tax rate. Depending on what you look at, you get different numbers for the same amount.

Imagine you’re a salesman working on a 5% commission. Last year, you made $30,000 but this year you earn $60,000. You could claim your boss gave you a 100% raise, but what if your commission is still only 5% and the increase came from just selling more stuff? Saying your salary doubled and that your boss did not give you a raise would be both correct, but you get a very different picture from each.

This newspaper reported a number that is technically correct (Central Frontenac Council - Mar 8/16)Central Frontenac Council - Mar 8/16), but looks at the total amount of money coming in (the levy), rather than the difference in rates from year to year. For example, we have just come off a record construction year. More home builds equals more taxpayers. You can get a levy increase from that.

Last year, the township’s increase was $20 on every $100,000 assessed, which was a 3.5% increase. The number currently under consideration is very close to that, and yet it is being reported as a jump of almost triple that of 2015.

Clearly everyone has their own question of what (or how much) an increase might be, so let me offer mine: “I am a typical homeowner in Central Frontenac. My property assessment has not changed, and I’m not counting either the County or the School Board numbers because the Township doesn’t control those. I know what I paid in 2015. I want to know, in percentage terms, what's the difference between what you billed me then and what you'll bill me now."

If that is the question you are asking of us, then the increase in what you will pay to our township over last year is not likely to be anywhere near 8 percent.

Brent Cameron, Central Frontenac councilor