Town council approved Canora’s 2022 budget on May 3.
As always, the budget is revenue neutral, showing $6,484,023 in both revenue and expenses, according to Michael Mykytyshyn, chief administrative officer, Town of Canora.
“Putting the budget together was maybe a bit simpler this year, given some bigger projects already on the go,” said Mykytyshyn. “Finishing the new aquatic park and work on the landfill were multi-year projects that had previously been given the green light.”
Mykytyshyn reported that council agreed to a $60 increase in the municipal base tax rate for all properties. There was some discussion about holding the line, but council felt that an increase was warranted given that operating costs continue to rise dramatically. Sixty dollars is equivalent to $5 per month.
Education (school) mill rates, set by the provincial government, went up to 4.54 for residential, 6.86 for commercial and 1.42 for agricultural properties.
“The municipal property tax has two components. All properties are assessed a base tax amount plus an amount based on the mill rate and their assessment. The principle is that all properties receive the same basic services that are covered by the base tax. The remainder is based on the taxable assessed value of the property,” explained Mykytyshyn.
This year’s rates are the $1,160 base tax for all properties plus a mill rate of 6.48. Mill rate factors remain .67 for agricultural, .87 for residential and 2.3 for commercial classifications.
Just as the cost of living continues to go up, so do the costs to run a municipality, he said. Public demands and expectations are higher than ever, and no one ever wants to pay more. Council has to strike a balance between the level of services provided and the costs to provide them.
To lend some perspective, the extra $60 on the base tax will pretty much cover only the estimated increase in fuel costs for the year and not much more. Tax increases do not typically translate into new spending or more services, and this one certainly doesn’t cover the higher costs in every department this year.
“The new municipal rate results in an overall increase in tax revenue of about 2.4 per cent,” detailed Mykytyshyn.
Total tax revenue in the 2022 budget is $2,026,606. Property taxes make up about 31 per cent of this year’s revenue. This means that property taxes cover only about one-third of the Town’s total expenses for this year.
“Many people are surprised to hear that property taxes contribute less than half of the operating revenues needed to run the Town.”
The Town was able to obtain an extension to the landfill funding deadlines which allowed the construction of a transfer station and closing of the landfill to be postponed. The Town is receiving Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) funding of $1.8 million for the $2.4 million project of closing the landfill. As a result of the extension, the new timeline will be to build a transfer station in 2023 and close the landfill in 2024.
Some residents are under the impression that this landfill project was a council decision. It was not. The landfill is 小蓝视频 closed because it does not meet the current environmental regulations and the province requires it to be decommissioned.
In order to continue to provide a place for residents to deposit solid waste, council decided to build a transfer station which will cost less to construct and operate than a new landfill. Again, the regulations regarding this are strict and specific.
Once again, the biggest expense category this year is capital projects at 34 per cent of the budget or about $2.4 million. This includes completion of the new aquatic park at $1.8 million and water main replacements on Seventh Avenue West, Evelee Avenue and a portion of Mary Street.
