Residents and ratepayers in Grey Highlands didn’t have much to say about the municipality’s proposed budget for 2023.
On Feb. 16, Grey Highlands council held a special budget 2023 town hall forum for local residents to make comments or ask questions about the budget.
The meeting was sparsely attended with just three local residents in the council chambers with a number of local residents also watching and participating virtually. The proposed budget would see the local portion of the tax bill in Grey Highlands increase by 7.1 per cent, blended together with the Grey County increase (1.48%) and the school board (0%) the bottom line increase in Grey Highlands would be 4.4 per cent or $159 for a home assessed at the average value of $305,908.
Initially, the town hall meeting started out as a tale of two former deputy mayors speaking to council about the budget. Both Stewart Halliday and Aakash Desai addressed council about the proposed budget and shared their philosophies about municipal budget making.
Halliday asked council to remember the 34 per cent of the population in Grey Highlands who are older than 60.
“Thank about those 34 per cent who are really on fixed incomes,” said Halliday, who spoke to council virtually on several occasions during the meeting. “Personally, I think it could be lowered. There are many ways. Good luck to everybody in your deliberations. It’s all about philosophy.”
Desai attended the meeting in person and urged council to continue to make investments in its asset management plan. Desai said municipalities across Ontario have a combined infrastructure “deficit” of 45 - 59 billion dollars. He said he is worried if Grey Highlands doesn’t continue to invest in its infrastructure and capital needs that it get into a situation where it has to use “Band-Aid” solutions.
“I don’t see how seven per cent can be fiscally responsible keeping in mind the future generations,” said Desai. “Your job is not to turn a profit, it’s to provide the best services.”
Desai said he was also disappointed to see that council had not approved the food cycler compost pilot project that had been tentatively approved by the previous council. Desai said he thought that project was a way to increase waste diversion and bring more composting to the urban areas of the municipality.
Members of council said a full home organics collection system is on the municipality’s radar.
“I didn’t see a lot of value in this particular program,” Coun. Joe Loughhead said of the food cycler project. “It’s better to invest in a more serious composting strategy.”
Coun. Nadia Dubyk said an organics program is in the pipeline.
“It is on their to-do list. It won’t be this year. It is, hopefully, coming soon,” she said.
Coun. Paul Allen brought a question to the meeting from a constituent about the Saugeen Mobility and Regional Transit. Grey Highlands began a trial run with the transit service in 2022 and Allen said a local resident encouraged council to continue providing the service.
Coun. Tom Allwood confirmed that $24,000 is in the proposed 2023 budget to continue the transit service for 2023.
Council was also asked about the proceeds from the sale of the Talisman lands – approximately $1.6 million. Council made the decision to keep that money in its asset management reserve for future needs, with a small portion being used in 2023.
“The bulk of the $1.6 million from Talisman is in the reserve fund,” said Allwood.
Loughhead said the Talisman sale money is still available to be used as council sees fit.
“It’s important to note that money has not been spent. It’s still available for us to use. It’s been saved,” he said.
The meeting concluded with Allwood thanking the public for their interest in the proposed budget.
“The budget process is one of the most difficult things your council has to do,” he said.
