Skip to content

TBM draft budget proposes 2.68% tax increase

Council aims to keep the tax increase below 3% in the 2022 budget
2020_04_21 TBM Town Hall Sign_JG
Jennifer Golletz/CollingwoodToday.

The Town of The Blue Mountains (TBM) residents could see a tax increase of 2.68 per cent in 2022, based on the town's draft budget.

Though the budget may still be subject to change, it currently meets council's mandate to keep the tax increase below three per cent for 2022.

Released on Jan. 12, the draft budget lists a total tax levy of $18.3 million, a $900,000 or 5.6 per cent increase over the 2021 budget. Due to growth, however, the proposed tax increase remains below three per cent.

The tax increase sat below two per cent prior to the addition of two extra staff positions on Jan. 17, which were approved for inclusion in the 2022 draft budget at a council meeting.

"We were at 1.86 per cent, or $37 on a house assessed at $540,000," said Ruth Prince, director of IT and finance services. "But what we'd like to consider is adding the IT infrastructure analyst and the bylaw officer, and adding these two positions brings us to 2.68 per cent, or on a $540,000 house, that's $53."

Some of the changes that have been made to the town's proposed budget are listed below:

  • The town is receiving $1.7 million in funding from the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund in 2022, an increase of $843,000 over 2021.
  • $75,000 in funding for the Sustainability Advisory Committee was proposed in the 2022 budget, but decided against as the committee has $75,000 in unspent funds from previous years.
  • A five per cent increase to the town's fees and charges.

Councillor Rob Sampson suggested an additional position to analyze the town's financial relationship with the county.

"We did talk about an analyst position [that] would also have some responsibility for analyzing our financial relationship in the county structure – in other words, helping us better understand our that benefit, loss, gains, whatever, of that financial relationship with the county," he said. 

CAO Shawn Everitt said the town is currently in discussions with the county to gain a better understanding of how municipal funds across the county are being spent.

"We're sending money into the county and spending money in the county," he said. "I'd much rather spend it once and have them have a position than spend it twice."

Sampson said he'd rather have a town employee do the analysis.

"The only counter to that would be I'm not too sure I would be real comfortable with the county telling me how great it is," Sampson replied. "They're spending our money. But having said that, if you take a look at our ratepayers tax bill, a small percentage of it goes to the town. The vast majority of it goes somewhere else."

The 2022 budget is still in draft form and has yet to be ratified by council.

On Feb. 7, a public meeting will be held for comment on the draft budget and draft fees and charges. Visit the town website here for information on how to participate in the meeting or submit comments.

A follow-up report from the public meeting will be considered at a committee of the whole meeting on Feb. 15.

On Feb. 28, recommendations from the previous meetings will be considered, and the budget will be approved by council.

Click here for a link to the 2022 draft budget.


Reader Feedback

About the Author: Greg McGrath-Goudie, LJI Reporter

Greg McGrath-Goudie covers The Blue Mountains and Grey Highlands as part of the Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the Government of Canada
Read more