The projected 2024 tax increased in Grey Highlands has dropped under double digits, but the budget process isn’t over yet.
Grey Highlands council concluded two days of budget sessions on Jan. 9 and 10 by reaching a proposed tax increase of 7.6 per cent. Prior to the latest budget deliberations, the proposed tax increase in 2024 exceeded 10 per cent.
Council started the Jan. 10 session with a 10.22 per cent tax hike, but was able to whittle away at that number to reach 7.6 per cent. Another budget meeting will be held at a date still to be determined.
After the meeting, Deputy Mayor Dane Nielsen explained that council had a number of discussions and debates on a variety of topics to reduce the tax increase.
Highlights include:
- Staff salary grid pay increases will be delayed until July 1 to save money.
- Council is also looking for more financial support from the community for projects at various community halls to reduce the impact on taxpayers.
- A grant writer staff position was eliminated from the budget. The budget does not include any new staff positions, other than two seasonal part-time positions being merged into one permanent full-time position.
- Council made some cuts to the library board’s capital budget for new furniture, etc.
- Council also mandated staff to find one per cent savings budget-wide.
- The King Edward Park Master Plan project has also been split into two phases. Phase one: communications with the public will be conducted in 2024 and the phase two design work will be pushed into 2025.
Nielsen said he is concerned that council is pushing tough financial decisions into the future.
“We’ve reduced the (2024) budget to less than double digits, but we need to be cognizant of what we cut today has impacts on next year’s budget,” Nielsen said in an interview after the meeting. “Our job is to consider 20 years from now and not just the four years we’re in office.”
Grey Highlands Mayor Paul McQueen said he feels further reductions to the increase are possible.
“We can’t go to the public with double digits (increase),” McQueen said, noting that he has ideas of his own for reducing the budget that he will raise at the next meeting. “I have a few more items I’m going to bring to the committee.”
McQueen also noted that a recent survey of the public on the budget received more than 50 responses. He said more than half the responses wanted council to make further cuts to the proposed tax increase.
“It would be nice to get it below six per cent,” said McQueen.
