Essa tax levy rising 3.9%

By Brad Pritchard Alliston Herald

ESSA – With budget talks now over, Essa’s tax levy is increasing 3.9 per cent this year.

The township’s 2014 levy was shaved down from $4.7 million to $4.64 million during council’s third budget meeting last night (Jan. 15).

For the owner of the average $274,711 home, the increase will work out to an extra $25 on their property taxes.

The increase factors in a two per cent increase in property value assessment, but does not include the two per cent increase to Simcoe County taxes or education taxes.

Essa Mayor Terry Dowdall said council did its best to soften the blow to residents despite many rising expenses that are out of the municipality’s control, like the OPP costs, hydro rates and liability insurance. A decrease of about $250,000 in transfer payments from the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund is also putting pressure on the township.

“Staff has worked really hard for us to go back and look at the operational side and really go over it again to come up with savings and efficiencies,” Dowdall said.

Deputy Mayor Sandie Macdonald agreed.

“I think we were fiscally responsible….and staff did a good job,” she said.

Dowdall said residents can look forward to more improvements this year.

He said discussions will take place in the coming months to look at adding more evening service to the transit partnership with Barrie.

He said road improvements will also continue, with one of the larger projects being the reconstruction of the 9th Line south of the 10th Sideoroad towards Egbert.

Council also agreed to a new sidewalk outside the new Our Lady of Grace Catholic School in Angus.

Dowdall said new businesses coming into town will also help grow the tax base and bring new jobs.

“We think it’s going to be a good year, we have Crabby Joe’s opening this summer so there should be some good spinoffs,” he said.

Council set aside $10,000 from reserves to pay for the Pine River Erosion program, but moving ahead with the project will be conditional on the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority securing matching funding.

The township will also enter into an agreement with Honeywell Limited to complete an energy retrofit at the Angus Waste Water Treatment Plan at a cost of just over $2 million.

Dowdall said it made financial sense to move ahead with this project since the work is guaranteed to bring annual savings of about $200,000 to the township over the next 10 years.

The project will be funded through reserves and be paid back from the annual savings during the loan period.

To view the entire budget document, visit www.essatownship.on.ca.