-by Anne Finlay-Stewart
The Owen Sound budget is coming to its last public meeting and a council vote Monday night after more than six months of deliberation.
The overall $731,022 increase in the proposed operating budget is primarily the result of a decrease of $155,000 in provincial funding, a $175,000 increase in the cost of waste management and a $773,000 rise in wages and benefits. One percent has been dedicated to the capital budget, the winter control costs have been reduced by $150,000 and some temporary savings of $195,000 have been realized.
The net result of the proposed budget, when combined with the county and education levies, will be a 2.19% increase for the residential taxpayer in 2016.
Where does the money come from to run this city? Most of it - 57% - is from taxes: residential, commercialand industrial. Another 30% is from user fees – facility rentals, licences and fees of various sorts, and the rest is mostly grants and levies from other jurisdictions.
And how do we spend it? More than half of every dollar goes to the wages and benefits of the people who provide our city services and 18% is for the materials and supplies they use to do their work. We pay for contracts with another 11%, and the rest is debenture payments and reserve transfers.
What services do we get for our money? The police account for 31%, fire services another 18% and 37% of the budget covers everything from water and sewage, roads, pipes and streetlights, to parks, arenas, cemeteries and trees. All the other costs of running a city – from city council, city hall staff, lawyers and consultants PLUS the art gallery and library, come from the remaining 14%.
And that is only the Operating Budget. Here are some of the proposed new and continuing capital projects for 2016:
- completion of the waste water treatment plant, 3rd Avenue East and 8th St. East upgrades
- electrical upgrade and erosion control at Harrison Park
- accessible washroom at Kelso Beach splash pad, in partnership with the Scenic City Order of Good Cheer
- design and consultation for essential future renovations at City Hall
- groundwork for rehabilitation of the inner harbour and public park on 1st Ave. East
More details of the 2016 budget and some nifty pie charts for you more graphic types will be available at the Council meeting Monday, January 25 at 7 p.m. at city hall, on Rogers TV or live-streamed. The full budget is in Monday's agenda.
