Stories This Week

GCH passes $10 million 2008 budget

by Simon Conolly

Galway-Cavendish and Harvey Township Council passed a $10,087,051.40 2008 budget Tuesday afternoon, a 40.4 per cent increase over the previous year’s figure.

But thanks to dramatic increases in funding from the provincial and federal governments, taxpayers face only a 2.25 per cent increase in their 2008 bills.

Taxpayers will pay an extra $23.08 per $100,000 of assessment, and that includes revenues collected by the township for the school boards and Peterborough County.

The $10 million figure is the municipal portion of the budget; the township will also raise $5,118,066 for the county, and $3,790,363.33 for education.

The county portion is up 7.17 per cent from $4,775,614 in last year’s budget. The education levy increased marginally from last year’s $3,745,368.06.

Actual tax collection for municipal purposes is virtually unchanged from last year: $5,294,515.59 budgeted in 2007, $5,359,755.02 this year.

As usual, roads are the biggest township expense, and the largest budget increase this year. The roads budget includes road maintenance, snow removal, salting and sanding, construction projects, traffic signs and administrative costs.

$2,681,700 was budgeted last year, and this year’s figure rises to $3,882,138, a 44.8 per cent increase.

The township has budgeted $1,709,425 for a group of items listed under ‘Other Protection Services’, which includes building and plumbing inspection, administrative costs, bylaw enforcement, animal control, the Ontario Provincial police, conservation authority and land use planning. This is a 30.9 per cent increase from last year’s $1,306,266 budget.

The next largest item is General Government at $1,616,594. This includes council and administrative costs, office expenses, the Economic Development Committee and the Buckhorn Regional Health Centre. The budget is down slightly from $1,665,800 last year.

Fire and Rescue Services is budgeted at $710,050, up from $670,300 last year.

Environmental Services – landfill sites and recycling programs – has a budget of $567,200, up from $502,400 last year.

Parks, Recreation, Culture and Heritage, which includes the library and all recreation facilities, is budgeted at $178,800, up from $166,050 last year.

Finally, $15,850 has been allocated to water testing at municipally owned facilities, a decrease from $17,300 last year.