{"id":147629,"date":"2023-12-13T07:41:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T12:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/rwddev\/?p=147629"},"modified":"2024-04-03T15:17:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T19:17:04","slug":"proposed-budgetary-changes-would-result-in-a-10-98-tax-increase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/proposed-budgetary-changes-would-result-in-a-10-98-tax-increase\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposed budgetary changes could result in a 10.98% tax increase"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Following more than three hours of discussions at a special General Committee meeting on December 12, Huntsville Council managed to bring down the municipality’s draft 2024 consolidated budget from a tax increase of 15.23 per cent to 10.98 per cent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decrease coupled with the District and education portion of the property tax would bring the overall property tax increase to about 6.45 per cent from 8.55 per cent, according to Town Director of Financial Services\/Treasurer Julia McKenzie. On a property assessed at $300,000, taxpayers would see their overall property tax increase by $140 instead of $196, if the changes are approved and no further cuts are made when council meets again for budget discussions on January 11, 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The draft budget staff put together with a 15.23 per cent tax increase shocked many people in the community and much of council who had asked for a budget range with a tax increase of between 3.6 and 7.2 per cent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What the public needs to know is that the staff have already worked almost on a daily basis to try to make sure they were coming with numbers that are responsible yet not cutting services,” said Councillor Scott Morrison who chairs the Town’s finance committee. The benefit we have as council is that we know the staff, we see how they work. We know that they’re not trying to inflate taxes just to make their job easier. They’re not adding things that they don’t need. So I do know cutting more is going to be a challenge and even asking staff to cut more is virtually impossible because what they bring to the table is already with frugality in mind.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morrison did ask staff and members of council to bring any ideas for further reductions forward at the January meeting. Staff was also asked to bring a report to council in January regarding new positions recommended in the parks department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Items brought forward by members of council in order to reduce the initial tax increase of 15.23 per cent included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n