The Municipality of Grey Highlands has set a budget for 2024.
At a special meeting on March 26, Grey Highlands council approved a budget and tax levy for 2024.
The budget comes with a local tax increase of 7.62 per cent. When combined with the Grey County and school board tax rates the blended/bottom line tax increase in Grey Highlands is 6.2 per cent. A home valued at the average assessment of $305,908 will pay $2,253 in local taxes - an increase of $159 per year.
Council unanimously approved the budget in a 7-0 vote, although Mayor Paul McQueen symbolically plugged his nose as he voted.
Members of council took turns thanking municipal staff for their efforts and patience during a long budget process, which started on Dec. 5, 2023. They also thanked Coun. Tom Allwood for his work chairing the various committee of the whole budget sessions throughout the process.
“It was a job well done. It’s been a long and hard journey,” said Coun. Joel Loughead.
McQueen said it was a tough year for budgeting and suggested there was still work to be done.
“It’s one of the most challenging budgets I’ve ever been part of,” said McQueen, who urged council to “think outside the box” to find more efficiencies. “We need to strive to do the best we can.”
McQueen suggested council have a committee of the whole session later in the year on the budget and budget process to give guidance to staff.
Coun. Nadia Dubyk also suggested council take time “to reflect on the time it takes us to get through the budget.” She urged council to think about the process and ways to improve it to ensure they have a “thorough” look at the budget while also “keeping business moving along.”
Council arrived at the final budget numbers after a two-and-a-half-hour discussion on the numbers that included some changes to the final draft budget that had been approved at committee of the whole in early February.
Changes that impacted the 2024 tax levy included:
- Council voted 6-1, with Coun. Dan Wickens opposed, to cancel plans to demolish a building owned by the municipality in downtown Markdale. The deletion of the project saved $50,000 on the levy.
- Council voted to create a contract grant writer staff position at a cost of $95,000. The contract will be for one year and split 50/50 between the 2024 and 2025 budgets. This added $47,500 to the tax levy.
- On a motion from Coun. Paul Allen, council voted to fund $175,000 in culvert replacements on the West Back Line from provincial infrastructure grant money. This saved $175,000 on the tax levy.
The changes at the meeting dropped the local tax increase from 8.85 per cent to 7.62 per cent.
At the meeting, council also voted to cancel a bridge replacement project in Kimberley and approved funding $85,000 in repairs to the Kimberley Hall from the municipality’s asset management reserve. Neither of these decisions had any impact on the 2024 tax levy.
