Municipality of Pontiac 2007 budget, tax rate up 6.9%
Mo Laidlaw
The 2007 budget of $5.28 million, adopted by a majority of the Pontiac council on 20 December 2006, is 9.5% higher than last year’s, a $457,183 increase. The general rate of property tax rises from $8.563 to $9.157 per $1000 of evaluation. The total value of taxable property in the municipality of Pontiac (evaluation), has increased by $10 million (3%) to $352 million, due to new building. The director general, Sylvain Bertrand expects it to reach $400 million by the end of 2007. The average value of a property in the municipality (according to the evaluation role) is now $111,000.
The big ticket items
Municipal roads are the largest single item at $1.08 million. With the addition of snow removal $457,000, and street lights and road signs, the total public works cost is $1.58 million, up 14.5% from 2006. Snowplowing is the biggest contributor to this increase, having gone up 50%, due to increases in fuel costs and other factors.
The contribution to MRC-des-Collines police is down 3% to $924,996. Fire protection is up 18% to $335,184 due to provincial regulations. With $11,525 going to animal control, the total for public security is $1.27 million, up 2%.
While garbage pickup and disposal is down 11% to $513,832, there are new costs in the public hygiene department, for inspecting septic installations and for recycling bins. The total is $892,888, an increase of 20%.
Administration is down 3% to $650,738.
Town planning and zoning costs continue to increase, up 39% to $291,140. More employees will be hired for inspection of septic systems.
Costs for recreational, leisure and cultural activities, which include parks, libraries and community centres are down 15% to $262,949, mainly due to reductions in administration. As usual the smallest item on the expense side of the budget is for the community centre at Breckenridge fire hall, $400. This compares to $27,327 for the Quyon Beach-barn, and $32,229 for the Luskville community centre.
Residual materials management
The service charge for garbage disposal increases by 6.3% to $182.48 for residences, $203.29 for residential and small businesses, and $257.96 for large businesses. A new charge of $16.95 per property for checking septic installations applies to all except those linked to the sewer in Quyon. Inspections will be carried out once every two years after the system is set up, and an emptying program will start in 2008. There will also be a one-time charge of $62 per property for recycling bins (wheelie bins).
Overall taxes up
For a residential property evaluated at $100,000, without municipal water or sewer, the bill including residual materials management charges will be $1177. This is 14.5% more than in 2006. Tax bills over $300 may be paid in three instalments on 1 March, 30 April and 30 September 2007.
In Quyon, connected to services:
The water rate is down 16%, at $199.12 for residences. The sewer charge increases to $203.31. There is a lagoon loan repayment rate of 0.2685. In Quyon, about 314 properties have sewers and about 437 properties have municipal water supply.
The tax on a residential property in Quyon, evaluated at $100,000, will be $1589, 11% more than in 2006. This includes garbage disposal and recycling, water, sewers and lagoon loan repayment ($26.85)
Projects for 2007
Priorities are paving roads as soon as weather permits, introducing the long-promised pickup for recyclable materials, and continuing to clean up the municipality by enforcing the nuisance bylaw. Mayor Eddie McCann stresses that long term contracts with municipal employees, and for snowplowing and waste collection, will stabilize the costs for a third of the budget until 2009.