A 5.25 per cent tax hike is set for 2023 in Innisfil after the town passed its two-year budget during the Feb. 8 meeting of council.
A 4.95 per cent increase is on tap for 2024, slightly higher than what councillors had agreed upon coming out of two days of deliberation at the end of January. That additional 0.2 per cent is thanks to councillors reconsidering their decision to delay funding for a seniors’ services librarian until the 2025-2026 budget cycle.
A former councillor championed the issue during the open form portion of the meeting.
“The library board and staff addressed the needs of the most vulnerable population in our community: our seniors,” said Donna Orsatti. “Many live alone; they’re isolated; they are struggling on fixed incomes and some below poverty level. There is a great need for programs and services that benefit their mental health (and) well-being.”
The senior population is growing in Innisfil, Orsatti said, and she argued the seniors’ services position would allow the town to improve on its current lacklustre seniors' programming. She mentioned that only Sandy Cove Acres had adequate programs for seniors, but they are only for residents of the private community and not for non-members.
Coun. Jennifer Richardson put the position back up for discussion during committee-of-the-whole, recommending the seniors' services position be hired in the final quarter of 2024. She reiterated her support for the position by reminding council that the library hasn’t hired new staff since 2016 and echoed the comments Orsatti made regarding the need.
But the best reason to add the position, she suggested was perhaps the very reason why the head of the library wasn’t initially able to attend the Jan. 27 budget deliberations.
“The reason our CEO and our board chair were not here the day of the budget was because they were accepting a grant from the (Ontario) Ministry (of Seniors and Accessibility) for our seniors,” Richardson said. “So, in thinking the same thing of how we have a town square that we also need to have programming for… if we have a grant of money that we that we can spend, we need someone to help to delegate that and to program for that to be spent the most wisely.”
Nearly $12,500 was committed to the Innisifl ideaLAB and Library during the announcement from Seniors and Accessibility Minister Raymond Cho and Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin.
Before the 6-3 vote in favour of adding the position back in, Mike Melinyshyn, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Corporate Services, stressed that council should make “a fully informed decision” and explained how even a small change – equalling about an extra $1.35 on the average tax bill in 2024 - could impact future budget deliberations.
“If the council approves this one-quarter position, the position will be presented in 2025, which will probably be in the $80,000 - $84,000 mark, an additional increase to the 2025 budget,” he said. “At budget deliberations we made mention of the change requests that staff had withheld. From the town’s perspective, there are approximately 26 full-time equivalent positions, $2.7 million worth of potential change requests that will be asked for in 2025 that were not presented to council this budget iteration.”
The position would put a 0.11 per cent tax increase on the books for 2025 nearly two years before deliberations for that budget were to begin, which Mayor Lynn Dollin was not comfortable with.
“I love our library, I’m very proud of our library. My issue is this: we don’t know what we don’t know,” Dollin said. “And if ever we didn’t know before, the last three years have proved to us that anything can happen. I very much would love to see this position go forward, but I hate trying out hands now, knowing that we’re going to start with that much of an increase, regardless of what else we need.”
Following the meeting, the town issued a news release that provided some additional clarity on the budget, highlighting the impacts on residents.
The approved budget equates to an annual increase in municipal taxes of $239.21 in 2023 and $237.22 in 2024 for the average household. Of the total money collected through taxation, only 46 per cent is utilized by the town for its services. The remaining 54 per cent is divided by the County of Simcoe, various school boards and South Simcoe Police Services.
The Town’s operating budget includes $62 million in 2023 and $64.8 million in 2024 for the delivery of day-to-day services to residents and businesses.
Those budgets include $8.8 million for fire services, $3.2 million for parks, $6.2 million for roads, sidewalks and winter control, $9 million for sports, recreational activities and facilities and $3.9 million for library services.
Included in the municipal tax bill are capital levies of $10.1 million this year and $11.7 million next year for the repair and replacement of assets. The total capital budget for 2023 sits at $68 million, dropping to $53 million in 2024.
Key projects over the next two years include $19.4 million for road rehabilitation, $6.2 million for improvements to Innisfil Beach Park, and $11.3 million and $6.2 million for improvements to 25th Sideroad and Lockhart Road, respectively.
“Council appreciates the work staff did to create a fiscally responsible budget that is mindful of the financial pressures faced by many of our residents,” Dollin said in the news release. “Staff worked hard to create a budget of restraint and to maximize every efficiency, while still focusing on core services and planning for growth. Council spent countless hours reviewing the budget, asking key questions and digging deep to ensure this budget was the best and fairest for Innisfil residents.”
Council approved the budget unanimously, in a recorded vote.
