Small increase likely in Essa taxes

By Brad Pritchard Simcoe.com Feb 22, 2011

ESSA TOWNSHIP – Essa residents are likely looking at a 1.5 per cent increase in their residential tax levy for 2011 as budget talks continue.

Council has been working to finalize this year’s budget since the new year and it’s expected the final stamp of approval will come at the next budget meeting on Wednesday, March 2.

Mayor Terry Dowdall said he’s satisfied with the increase and that it’s reasonable given the township is moving full steam ahead with its projects while trying to be sensitive to the hit many residents took to their wallets during the recent economic downtown.

“We (council) seem to have an idea, we realize it’s interesting and tough economic times and 1.5 (per cent) still allows us to offer the programs that we do and were still going forward,” he said. “We’re still hard topping our roads… there’s lots of things happening with the new Angus high school and the new library, it’s a big year.”

“I’m happy with it… in my eyes it’s good since were not losing any services,” he said.

He also praised staff for tightening their budgets to limit the increase.

“They (staff) came back fairly good. They had to go back but they found some savings,” he added. “Traditionally we’ve always been very prudent.”

With the budget talks almost under wraps, he said council will soon shift its focus on the “strategic plan” touted by Dowdall and the deputy mayor during the election.

“We’ll see shortly where we want to go,” he said. “ We will bring all the things we heard at the doors together and come up with something reasonable that people want to see for their money.”