Some residents of Loyalist Township aren’t exactly pleased with the proposed 2021 operating budget.
Their main issue is the potential four per cent property tax increase they could see coming this year. Some people were so unhappy about the tax hike that an online petition to stop it was formed — a petition that has received more than 1,600 signatures.
“This is on top of an already astronomically high tax rate, one of the highest in Ontario,” says Tim Pearsell, who started the petition.
“This tax increase is the breaking point for many residents in Loyalist Township and could cause families to lose their homes and the community they love.”
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The four per cent increase is currently part of the proposed 2021 budget, but Loyalist Township mayor Ric Bresee wants to remind the public that this tax hike isn’t set in stone.
“At this point, it is not a final budget,” he says.
“We still have a lot of deliberations to do on that budget — this is the period for public input, and we’re certainly getting it.”
Some of the components of the increase are inflation-related, and the hiring of new staff. Last year, the provincial government gave Loyalist Township a bit of funding to conduct an external consultation to provide recommendations to improve their efficiency.
That study suggested that the Township should make a number of hires for new positions, which are included in the proposed 2021 operating budget.
If council decides to put off hiring for those new positions, that could free up some space in the budget and potentially lower the property tax increase.
“Whether council chooses to proceed with those positions will be up to council after the deliberations,” says Bresee.
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The most common theme among those who are pushing back against this tax increase is the added financial stress the pandemic has put on so many people.
But the pandemic has affected everyone differently, and that disparity has made itself apparent among certain Loyalist Township citizens.
“Some people who are more well off around here want more services, like green bin service, which would be quite an expense on the township as well,” says Harry Leslie, a resident of Amherstview.
“But that kind of increase would definitely be tough for people who have lost their jobs.”
Budget talks are still ongoing in the township, and staff are now accepting public input on the township’s website.
The 2021 operating budget is expected to be finalized by the end of March.