Municipality of Pontiac 2008 budget, low tax increases
Mo Laidlaw
The 2008 budget of $5.6 million, adopted by a majority of the Pontiac council on 18 December 2007, is 6% higher than last year’s, a $321,095 increase. The general rate of property tax falls from 0.9157 to 0.7083. However in the last three years the total value of taxable property in the municipality of Pontiac, has increased by 33%, to $432 million, due to increasing evaluations and new building. Depending on the increase in value of your property, your tax bill may increase more or less than the average. The new assessed value of your property will be included on the tax bill sent out in January by the MRC des Collines.
Taxes in Quyon, connected to services:
The water rate is up about 7%, at $212.90 for residences. The sewer charge decreases about 6% to $192.01 for residences. There is a lagoon loan repayment rate of 0.2044. In Quyon, about 315 properties have sewers and about 440 properties have municipal water supply.
As an example, the tax on a residential property in Quyon, valued at $133,000, will be $1774.27, up only 1.52% from 2007 taxes for a house previously valued at $100,000. This includes garbage and recycling pickup, water, sewers and lagoon loan repayment.
Taxes in the rest of Pontiac:
For a residential property valued at $200,000, the bill including garbage and recycling pickup and septic fee will be $1609.56. This is 2.33% more than 2007 taxes for a house previously valued at $150,000. Residents of Davis and Soulière will also pay a rate of 0.0501 towards paving their road ($100.20 on a $200,000 house), and those on Lavigne a rate of 0.0364 ($72.80 on a $200,000 house).
Tax bills over $300 may be paid in three instalments on 1 March, 30 April and 30 September 2007.
Where the money goes
Roads, public security
Public works is the largest budget item at $1.8 million, up 14% from 2007. This is mostly municipal road maintenance, but also includes snow removal at $482,283, and street lights and road signs at $58,989.
The contribution to MRC des Collines police is about the same as 2007 at $927,276. Fire protection is up 21% to $404,239 continuing the upgrade to new provincial regulations. With $11,950 going to animal control, the total for public security is $1.34 million, up 5.6%.
Other departments
While garbage and recycling pickup is up 4% to $534,229, the recycling bins have now been paid for, so the total public hygiene budget is down 17% to $743,952. In 2007 Pontiac recycled about 500 tons of material which would otherwise have been sent to landfill, thus saving dump fees as well as trucking to Lachute.
Administration is up 2.6% to $667,609.
Town planning and zoning costs continue to increase, up 21% to $352,906. An employee will be hired for inspection of septic systems.
Costs for recreational, leisure and cultural activities, which include parks, libraries and community centres are up 16% to $306,115, mainly due to administration increases and more money for parks and playgrounds. The community centre at Breckenridge fire hall will cost $357. This compares to $38,353 for the Quyon Beach-barn, and $37,330 for the Luskville community centre.
Interest on existing loans to pay for the sewage lagoon, paving, fire trucks, grader and so on, amounts to $168,421, a reduction of 18% from 2007. The accumulated debt of the previous council has now been paid off.
Residual materials management
The service charge for garbage pickup increases by about 2.8% to $187.64 for residences, $208.97 for residential-businesses, $218.97 for small businesses (up 7.7%), and $265.00 for large businesses. A charge of $5.32 for checking septic installations applies to 2478 properties that are not linked to the sewer in Quyon.
Projects for 2008
Mayor Eddie McCann said that council’s priorities include continuing to improve ditches and roads, increasing recycling and studying composting to reduce costs of garbage dumping, starting construction of a treatment plant for drinking water in Quyon, preparing plans for a plant to treat septic and holding tank waste alongside the sewage plant in Quyon, continuing with the bicycle path project, and expanding the Town hall.