Addington Highlands facing 5% tax increase

Craig Bakay | Mar 23, 2022

Addington Highlands Council held three meetings last week, the regular meeting (March 15) and two budget meetings (March 16).

As the budget meetings kicked off, CAO/Clerk-Treasurer Christine Reed told Council that the 2022 draft budget contained wage increases (7.11 per cent) for administrative staff and Council and a 20 per cent increase for insurance premiums as well as a $10,000 contingency for cyber insurance.

There were also funds for web site redesign, replacement of laptops/ipads for the new term of Council as well as the installation of microphones, a webcam and televisions for the Addington Highlands Community Centre — Denbigh to provide the ability to livestream Council meetings from Denbigh. (It is proposed that funds be taken from reserves to cover those expenses.

In all, the budget proposed expenses of $969,250 as opposed to 2021’s $904,910.

That would have represented a 4.62 per cent tax rate increase and a 5.23 per cent tax increase.

“Five point two three is large,” said Reed. “But I do have some suggestions to reduce that.”

“How about the $3,000 for street lights?” said Reeve Henry Hogg. “That’s a 100-per cent increase and we turn them off at 10 o’clock.”

“What’s good target?” asked Coun. David Miles. “There’s a lot of people hurting and they’ve been through a lot in the last two years.”

But there wasn’t a major appetite for slashing the budget.

“Everything is going up, up, up,” said Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch. “So, I read the budget and I wonder what should we not do.

“We could nickel and dime here and there but nothing really stands out.”

“The inflation rate is really high,” said Coun. Kirby Thompson.

“I’m not really in favour of trying to get it much lower because we’d probably have to make it up next year,” said Fritsch.

Reed suggested not contributing to an already-$65,000 doctor recruitment fund and reducing the Northbrook Medical Centre budget would get the numbers to a 4.28 per cent levy increase on a 3.67 tax rate. That would make the impact $22.31 on each $100,000 of assessment.

Council accepted those proposals.

Reed also suggested taking $100,000 from surplus would get the tax rate down to 2.88 per cent ($17.51 on $100,000) but Council rejected that proposal.

EOTA - OATV deal?

Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance director Cindy Cassidy attended the March 15 regular Council meeting at the request of Council to provide the EOTA’s perspective on a request from the Verona District ATV to use a trail bed through Addington Highlands.

Cassidy said the EOTA maintains 16.5 kilometres of trail in Addington Highlands and has been doing so for 22 years.

“It would be great if AH could make more of a contribution,” she said. (The yearly contribution had been $500 but at the request of Addington Highlands EOTA representative, Bill Cox, Council added an additional $500 from the AHEAD committee’s budget this year).

“We do not stop anybody from using the trails but you have to pay to play,” Cassidy continued. “As of Thursday we have developed an agreement to work with local ATV clubs if they wish.

“We have an agreement we believe is suitable and we’ll see what they choose to do.”

“I guess we’ll have to see how it works out,” said Coun. Tony Fritsch.

Hydro One

Coun. Helen Yanch didn’t see too impressed with Hydro One’s letter response to recent power outages.

“They do acknowledge that they took workers from our area and we are second-class citizens once again,” she said.

Crown Land Stewardship? Not now

Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch reported that the Crown Land Stewardship Working group wasn’t recommending any organized campsite projects on Crown Land in the near future.

“We’re recommending we park the idea for a few years,” he said. “It would require subsidization by ratepayers.

“We will monitor existing operations and continue on involving these organizations but I don’t envision needing to budget anything.”