BROCKVILLE – City councillors will discuss the 2017 budget for the first time tonight.
The fiscal blueprint has been put together based on a two per cent increase in the amount of taxes Brockville will collect next year, known as the municipal tax levy.
That’s about $677,957 to cover off the $44 million operating budget.
As it stands now, the city is expecting to collect about $34.5 million in taxes in 2017.
Just how much that levy will affect your Brockville tax bill will depend on your municipal assessment and what type of property class you’re in.
The budget maintains the status quo for services and follows the city’s 10 year plan for replacing capital.
The city has 231 full-time, 85 part-time and 44 seasonal staff on the payroll – one of the single biggest expenses for the corporation.
One of the factors affecting the 2017 increase is Hydro One costs, which account for about one-third of a per cent of the overall increase.
In a memo to the mayor and councillors, the finance department says a number of liabilities are off the table for the upcoming year “based on some favourable reassessments and minutes of settlement from MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) and various tax agents.”
Tax assessment appeals can put tax dollars already collected at risk of being refunded if there’s a judgment in favour of the landowner.
The city’s water budget is also projected to have a 1.02 per cent increase while there’s a decrease in the waste water budget.
Tonight’s meeting starts at 6 p.m. at city hall.