Letters
A clear and complete picture
Re: Blistering tax increase, The Times, January 23, 2019.
While the overall budget increase of 8.62 per cent in 2019 undoubtedly grabs the attention of readers, I believe that focusing your coverage on this number does not provide a clear and complete picture of the 2019 municipal budget for the County of Prince Edward.
The combined municipal operating budget ($54.4 million) and capital budget ($13.9 million) approved by council requires a tax increase of 2.71 per cent ($21.80 per $100,000 of assessment) after taking real assessment growth into consideration. I believe it is fair and consistent with other municipalities to figure in assessment growth. As new properties are built and others are improved, there is a greater property assessment total to divide the tax levy into.
Because of council’s commitment to accountability and transparency, we passed two separate tax levies that residents will now see on their tax bills. We want to help residents understand exactly how much of their tax dollars are going to support investments in local health care as well as roads and bridges.
Council approved a 1 per cent tax levy ($8.26 per $100,000 of assessment) dedicated to fund the $4.5 million commitment for the redevelopment of the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital. We have heard loud and clear that the hospital is a priority for our community. This project will not move ahead, though, if the community doesn’t raise its local share, which is 10 per cent of the construction costs and 100 per cent of the new equipment in the hospital. The previous council committed $4.5 million toward the $16 million local share, and with this tax levy, we now have a financial plan in place for meeting that commitment.
Furthermore, we approved a 2.5 per cent capital tax levy ($20.65 per $100,000 of assessment) to increase the funding available for improving the 1,100 km of County roads and several bridges. For too long we have neglected our vital infrastructure. Our reserves are drained and we don’t have the money necessary to do all of the upkeep work required on our roads and bridges. We believe it is prudent to start setting aside funds to help us tackle this problem. The days of kicking it down to future generations must come to an end. Further to that, this year we will be developing a new plan to manage our municipal assets, which will assist in the delivery of affordable and sustainable services for generations to come.
While it is true that the overall budget increase is 8.62 per cent compared to 2018, taxpayers will not be paying 8.62 per cent more in municipal taxes in 2019. The net impact on the average residential tax bill is much less when other revenue sources and assessment growth are factored in. For each $100,000 in assessed MPAC property value, residential property owners will pay approximately $50.70 more in municipal taxes in 2019.
When setting the 2019 municipal budgets, Prince Edward County Council aimed to maintain the level of service the municipality provides to residents and invest in key priorities such as roads and bridges, a new hospital, and affordable housing. Unfortunately, the costs associated with delivering a wide range of critical services—police, fire and ambulance services, roads and bridges, public transit, waste management, social housing, and public health, to name just a few—keep rising.
During the four days of budget deliberations, we looked at every single line item expense and request for funds in order to keep costs down and limit the impact to taxpayers. If we were to decrease these budgets in a significant way, we would have had to reduce our service levels and the amount of capital work we can do. We did not believe that this was the prudent choice for the residents of Prince Edward County.
We understand that residents face higher costs for food, housing and other necessities on top of the increase in municipal taxes. That’s why we didn’t make this decision lightly. We take seriously the trust you place in us. We are committed to spending your hardearned tax dollars wisely and continually looking for more effective and cost-efficient ways to do business.
STEVE FERGUSON
MAYOR, COUNTY OF PRINCE EDWARD
I have been a resident in Wellington for over 25 years and have seen my taxes go from
$600 to $5000 dollars per year. While I don’t have any issue paying my fair share I do wonder about the distribution of resources. Driving home the other night from a dinner in Picton, I marveled at the beautiful new light standards over flowing with flowers, the gleaming new side walls and free flowing fountains.In Picton sidewalks are free of cracks and the skyline is free of wires. How sad was I to return to Wellington to find all but one of our lighted signature signs no longer lit up. Our poles are sagging under the weight of wires old an new. It is now nearly impossible to use the main pedestrian crossing as the button is covered by thick black cables and the sight-lines to on coming traffic obstructed by what seems to be a sagging transformer box mounted 3 feet off the ground. The Wellington sidewalks are cracked and hazardous and there is nary a planter in sight. I don’t know what Wellington did to deserve this neglect, but as I see our one beach road disintegrate into the lake and the county seemingly more interested in giving people tickets than considering the condition of our roads and sidewalks, I wonder. All we seem to have gained in the last few years, is the extra clutter on our tiny side walks, of hideous bins that are hard to use and often dirty. They have them in Toronto, they never worked I am sad to see we decided to follow that lead.
Needless to say before I place my X in October I would like to hear what the plans are for my tax dollars. Can I hope they will be used to keep my town up to the same standards as Picton.