The first draft of the 2023 budget for the Town of The Blue Mountains proposes a local property tax increase of 8.28 per cent.
The town released the proposed budget for 2023 this week for the public to review and offer input. Council will deliberate on the budget at a number of special meetings in February. The proposed budget can be found online here.
The proposed increase of 8.28 per cent represents an increase of $175 to a home assessed at the town’s average value of $555,840 as set by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.
The budget as proposed serves as a starting point for council’s upcoming budget discussions. Council will review the proposed budget on the following dates:
- Wednesday, February 1, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.
- Thursday, February 2, 2023, at 9:30 a.m.
- Friday, February 3, 2023, at 9:30 a.m.
- Monday, February 6, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. (if necessary)
The special budget meetings will be held in-person and will be live-streamed with a recording posted to the town website after the meeting. Following review and direction from council through these meetings, town staff will make revisions to the budget and the updated version will be posted to the town’s website on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023.
Following the release of the updated budget, the town will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. The public meeting provides the opportunity for residents to address council directly or to submit an email or letter that will be read at the meeting by the clerk.
The budget also includes the proposed increase in water and wastewater user fees. These fees are paid directly by the users that are connected to municipal water and wastewater services. For the average home in the town, the budget proposes a $59 increase to the water fee and a $40 increase to the wastewater fee for a total impact of $99.
The town is also proposing a $20 million capital budget to support key infrastructure projects throughout the community. The projects include:
- Completion of the Thornbury West Road Reconstruction Phase 1B ($5.75M)
- Peel Street North Reconstruction ($4.9M)
- Road Maintenance Equipment Replacement ($1.7M)
Local residents are encouraged to participate and share feedback with council throughout the budget process. More information about how to participate at a meeting or how to provide comments can be found here.
