After several days of back and forth, Sturgeon County councillors have narrowed in on a budget with a proposed property tax increase of 6.2 per cent.
Councillors made multiple changes to the budget during meetings last week, adding some budget requests and dropping others, but when the final tally was completed the 2011 municipal property tax increase remained largely unchanged.
The initial budget from administration called for a 6.1 per cent increase, but the changes council made actually raised that to 6.2 per cent. The budget is up for first reading on Dec. 14.
For a homeowner whose property is valued at $410,000, the increase amounts to about $75 dollars more per year.
Many of the changes council made were not achieved unanimously and Mayor Don Rigney said he believes the increase is still too much to expect from county taxpayers.
"I can't support that big an increase in a recessionary year."
Rigney said if there is a higher demand for services the county should be looking at expanding its property tax base rather than taking more from the existing residents.
"My perspective is we should grow the revenue rather than just extract more from our taxes."
Coun. Tom Flynn said Sturgeon County has limited increases over the past few years, but there are projects that simply can't wait any longer.
"You can only sort of ride that for so long. I think if we had been a little higher for the last three years at something like four per cent we wouldn't be seeing this now."
Flynn said even with much of the debate completed he will still be looking at it for more efficiencies.
"I am still looking for ways to reduce the increase, but I think we have to still keep our eye on maintaining the organization."
Flynn noted much of this year's increase is a result of the debt payments Sturgeon County has to pay on money borrowed this year.
Add-ons
The draft budget originally presented to council did not include more than 60 spending 'enhancements,' which were proposals administration felt the county should spend money on but were not absolutely necessary.
Council added several enhancements to the budget, including $14,500 for additional grass mowing in the high-risk fire areas, $5,400 for computer back-up systems and $14,000 to increase advertising.
Some of the more contested additions were around proposed changes to the county's dispatch system and funding to increase some staff salaries, both resulting in 4-3 votes.
The changes to the dispatch system are projected to cost $30,000 and would make it easier to locate the county's bylaw officers.
Coun. Ken McGillis said he viewed the extra spending as a safety issue that was worth the investment.
"I think we are remiss if we don't do it," he said. "It is a lot of money, but it is the right thing to do."
Rigney and councillors Dave Kluthe and Don McGeachy voted against the proposal. Rigney pointed out administration felt the enhancements were not completely necessary.
"Those were all considered add-ons or nice to have by the administration."
The increase to staff salaries was originally proposed at $132,000 and is meant to increase the pay scale for certain positions that have been difficult to fill.
After rejecting the original plan, Flynn put forward a proposal to fund half that amount, $66,000, and have the increase begin in the middle of next year.
Flynn argued this wasn't so much about keeping the staff they have, but about attracting new people, especially if the economy picks up.
"There were a few locations where we were really having trouble finding the right people to fit in," he said. "We certainly don't want to lose the people that we have, but we can see some credible signs of growth around that corner."
That measure also passed with Rigney, Kluthe and McGeachy opposed.
Rigney said he understands the desire for many of the proposals in the budget, but feels a leaner budget makes mores sense in uncertain economic times.
Ultimately the final decision is up to council, he said.
"Clearly the message you are seeing is that the council feels the public wants more services and we should spend more money. I am of a different mind."
