Midwestern

North Perth officially approves 2021 budget

On March 1st, 2021, North Perth Council officially approved the 2021 Capital and Operations budget, with a combined 2 percent levy increase.

Due to assessment shifts, the 2021 residential levy impact is about 1.2% or approximately 10 cents per day. Deputy Treasurer Becky Belfour, says one thing that has changed is that solid waste management, like garbage collection and landfill tipping fees, is now a full user cost recovery service.

"We did the survey at the beginning of the budget process, and the feedback we received was that the services that we provide that should be full cost recovery user pay, they were willing to pay for."

Belfour explains that now, instead of the tax base covering solid waste management, depending on the size of your wheelie bin, residents will see a 30-60 dollar user fee starting this year. Residents will see the fee included on their interim tax bill. She also notes that cemetery costs are likely going that way, too, in the near future.

Given what the last year has been like, Belfour says it was difficult to settle on a budget that worked for everyone, but North Perth feels they have done that.

"Council said that with it being such a unique year, staff really needed to be very vigilant in coming back with a very minimal budget, and staff did a really great job with looking at all the expenses."

Many projects are on the front burner this year in North Perth, including the Albert Storm Trunk, Line 84 Reconstruction and the Listowel Memorial Arena Demolition and Redevelopment.

In addition to the projects getting done and getting the budget completed, Belfour says that industrial and commercial properties will see a reduction in their taxes this year as a result of the lowered Education Tax, which should be of some relief to local business owners following a tough 2020.

"It will help, and I mean across the board it would have been nice to see everything go down in terms of farmland and residential, as well, but this was a year of no change in assessment unless you changed something on your property, so assessment stayed status quo. But this will give some relief in a way to industrial and commercial businesses which is good."

In the official budget release, North Perth says "The 2021 Capital Budget includes a total project cost estimate of just over $19.7 million, with carryover projects representing 32% of the overall amount. Project work is being funded by development charges revenues, reserves/reserve funds, the tax levy, donations and provincial/federal grant funding."

Projects that were highlighted for completion are:

  • Albert Storm Trunk
  • Traffic Study/Transportation Master Plan
  • Line 84 Reconstruction
  • Replacement of Fire Apparatus
  • Listowel Memorial Arena Demolition and Redevelopment
  • John Bell South and John Bell North Ball Light Tower Replacement
  • Hydraulic Re-rating of the Wastewater Treatment Plant
  • Water Meter Replacement Program (installation to occur in 2022)
Belfour says one nice thing, too, is that most years attendance at the public meeting for the budget approval is scarce, but with it being virtual this year, 109 residents signed on to take part.

Read More Local Stories