date posted: 2005-10-01
What a great summer we all had. Now it’s time to focus on the many issues facing Town Council not the least of which is preparing for the 2006 budget.
As the Chair of the Budget Committee I can assure readers that every Member of Council is acutely aware of the financial pressures all of the residents in the Town of Richmond Hill are facing. A property tax increase is never a pleasant prospect for elected officials to consider but that is the reality that all municipalities are facing.
The very same cost increases that homeowners are facing are financial pressure points on the Town budget. Heating fuel, electricity, gasoline, supplies, equipment and of course salaries of staff are major components in the budget. Capital costs are also escalating as the annual repairs and replacements of infrastructure such as roads, sewers, water lines, parks equipment, vehicles also are subject to cost increases.
So what will Council do about mitigating these increases and minimizing tax increases? Staff are now preparing detailed budgets on a department by department basis. Every line item in the draft budget from shovels to summer students will be reviewed by each of the departments and submitted for further review by senior staff.
Once a draft working budget has been compiled, it is then submitted to Council’s Budget Committee. That Committee holds all of its meetings in public and the debate over priorities and expenditures is often lively as Members of Council request details of expenditures and offer suggestions for savings or efficiencies. These deliberations will take place in the first months of the new year.
Once all the numbers are crunched and reviewed a final budget is submitted to Council by the Budget Committee. Council ultimately decides what the tax rate will be. Only then will the amount of increase to your taxes and mine be known as well as the fees for certain services the Town provides.
If it sounds like a lot of effort goes into the budget – that’s because there is. Town Council and staff are committed to delivering the highest level of service to our residents while maintaining one of the lowest property tax rates in the entire GTA.
Information on dates for public consultation and budget meetings will be available on the Town website at www.richmondhill.ca