Meaford’s ratepayers could face a tax increase of just under 3% next year.
Meaford council voted Monday to approve the municipality’s capital and operating budgets and its user-pay budget for 2017.
Meaford will need about $21-million to pay all its bills in 2017.
Treasurer Darcy Chapman told council that about $8-million will come from various form of income. These include municipal grants, service charges as well as the sale of permits and licenses and other income.
“Meaford will still need to collect about $13.2 million in property tax from its ratepayers," says Chapman.
Meaford’s operating budget for 2017 actually declined 1.6% from 2016.
Chapman says a majority of the current increase is earmarked for the municipality’s program of repairing or replacing aging bridges, roads and other municipal infrastructure.
“After we combine the local levy with the Grey County and Education levy, the blended increase will be lower,” Chapman says. “Just how much lower we won’t know until we hear what the education levy will be. That won’t be until sometime February but we don’t expect the levy to increase much."
For the average Meaford property owner of a house assessed at $263,000, they will pay an extra $76 a year.
The user fee for potable water goes up 2.25% while the fee for wastewater disposal increases by 5%.
