Essa resuming budget talks Jan. 15

By Brad Pritchard Alliston Herald 

ESSA – Essa council managed to shave another percentage off next year’s proposed levy during its latest round of budget talks.

Earlier this month council was presented with the 2014 draft budget, which included a proposed 4.89 per cent levy increase.

The increase, which includes assessment growth but not Simcoe County and education taxes, would work out to another $37.02 on the annual tax bill of the average homeowner.

Mayor Terry Dowdall said council whittled down the levy a little more by removing a number of smaller expenditures.

“Right now I’d say we are around four per cent but we still don’t have the final numbers yet,” he said.

The initial proposed township levy was set at $4.7 million, an increase of $361,000 in expenditures over the 2013 budget of $4.3 million.

Dowdall said it’s been especially challenging to budget this year due to a number of uncontrollable increases, including police, a decrease of about $250,000 in transfer payments from the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund, and rising hydro rates.

He said a major construction project along the 9th Line between the 5th and 10th sideroads is still up for consideration.

Expenses removed from the last meeting include electronic speed signs and a new truck for the public works department.

He said the township will be moving forward with a retrofit project of the Angus water and sewer plant, which could result in annual savings of a couple hundred thousand dollars for the township.

Dowdall also remains optimistic some extra dollars will be available for the transit partnership with Barrie to add an extra bus run during evenings.

Council will meet again Jan. 15 to continue working on the budget.