Addington Highlands Tax Bill Going Up 6.93%

Craig Bakay | Apr 17, 2024

Addington Highlands Council approved its 2024 budget at a special meeting April 11 in Flinton.

The hit to taxpayers is a 6.73 per cent increase or another $90 difference per $100,000 of assessment over last year. For every $100,000 of assessment your property is worth, you’ll pay $1,439.

The tax bylaw is to be passed at the first Council meeting in May.

Although the Township budget increased by 11.52 per cent, luckily for ratepayers, the County budget only increased by 2.9 per cent. The education portion was unchanged from last year.

In her budget summary, CAO/Clerk-Treasurer Christine Reed said: “Overall, the increase in expenses is 4.53 per cent.

“The projected operating revenues are 1.58 per cent higher, however, the deferred revenue from 2023 is 49.74 per cent lower than the deferred revenue from the previous year.”

Total expenditures for 2024 are budgeted at $7.5 million, up from $7.2 million in 2023

The Township received an Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund grant of $2,053,400. Any surplus funds left over from 2023 have yet to be finalized but Reed said she didn’t expect much.

Reed’s budget also proposed a $100,000 contribution from non-capital reserves.

The net amount to levy is $3,890,282 ($3,57,740 in 2023).

The biggest expense in the budget is of course roads (transportation services) which eats up $2.43 million $2.35 million.

Council seemed more or less resigned to a substantial municipal tax increase this year due to rising costs.

“We could take money out of reserves to lessen the impact, but that would only push the problem to next year and it would be a greater problem then,” said Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch.

Council did make a “cosmetic” gesture in that it decided to cut a 7 per cent wage increase for Council to 3.5 per cent and Fritsch agreed to a pay cut. (The Deputy Reeve had been getting what a councillor gets plus 2/3s but will now get what a councillor gets plus 1/3.) Coun. Kirby Thompson voted no to the motion.

One interesting proposal to come out of the budget deliberations came from Coun. Ken Hook, who advocated for selling the Denbigh Hall, which he said would be redundant if they accelerated the timeline to get a kitchen installed in the newer Addington Highlands Community Centre in Denbigh.

“Put a kitchen in the Centre and sell the Hall,” Hook said.

“Water for the Denbigh Hall comes from across the road and the septic bed is in the Park,” said CBO David Twiddy. “There’s very limited selling potential.”

“Even though it might have a low selling point, it still costs us to keep it up every year,” said Hook. “Even if we don’t sell it, it just seems like a liability.”

Council passed a motion asking staff to look at the feasibility of keeping the Denbigh Hall and what renovations would be needed to the AHCC to fully replace the Hall.

Since the budget was approved, there will be no more budget meetings scheduled prior to the budget’s adoption at the first meeting in May.

Before the budget discussions, Council heard a report on its strategic initiatives.

“I’m not suggesting any additions that would increase this year’s budget, but I think since we’re at the mid-term of this Council, maybe we should review some of these to see what we can accomplish in our next two years,” said Fritsch.