Draft budget includes tax increase

Residents would pay about 1% more if plans not changed
By Jay Gutteridge Bradford Topic Jan 27, 2011
Bradford West Gwillimbury homeowners will pay about 1 per cent more in property taxes this year if draft municipal budgets are approved as they stand.
That increase equates to about $40 more per year on the average assessed house of $318,020.
The opening of Bradford West Gwillimbury’s new library is making the biggest impact on the tax rate, with the library’s tax levy proposed to increase by 36.2 per cent this year.
The total property tax levy includes five components: town, library, Bradford West Gwillimbury/Innisfil Police Services Board, Simcoe County and education.
The Bradford West Gwillimbury Budget & Business Plan 2011 report proposes a town tax levy that’s .21 per cent lower than last year.
The report indicates the police services board’s tax levy is proposed to increase 4.79 per cent this year. It lists the education levy at the same level as last year.
Simcoe County council approved its budget Tuesday with a 1.5-per-cent increase, smaller than the 2 per cent estimated in the town’s report. That increase actually results in a decrease in the taxes levied on the average assessed home in
Bradford West Gwillimbury, because the average assessment value in town increased.
All of the levies combined result in the roughly 1-per-cent increase for the homeowner.
“It was clear during budget 2010 deliberations that there was going to be continued pressure on the tax rate in order for council to proceed with the priorities outlined in their strategic plan and to maintain existing programs and services at current or improved levels,” the report states.
The library budget is $542,640 higher than last year due to the increased costs of operating a larger facility. These include increased staffing costs, higher utility bills, a more expensive cleaning contract and long-term debt carrying charges.
Although the new leisure centre is opening next year, the town has been including money in the tax levy to prepare for the facility’s operation since 2007, meaning the costs of operating it will not impact the tax levy this year more than in recent years.
On top of the tax levy increase, the combined rate for water and waste water services is proposed to increase 4.1 per cent for residences, meaning an extra $39.12 per year for a residence with an average consumption of 25 cubic metres per month.
The commercial water and waste water rate is proposed to increase 6.8 per cent, meaning an extra $528.96 per year for a business with an average consumption of 170 cubic metres per month.
Much of the proposed cost increase for water and waste water comes from the higher utility bills and staffing costs associated with the town’s new waste water treatment plant.
The town’s total operating budget for the year, including library, water and waste water and excluding county, police and education services, is nearly $32 million.
Town council will hold budget deliberations Feb. 10 and 11 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., during which changes to the budget may be proposed.
To view the Bradford West Gwillimbury Budget & Business Plan 2011 in its entirety, visit townofbwg.com and click on Town Services, then Finance, then Budget, then 2011 Budget & Business Plan.