By Laurie Watt 

Barrie taxpayers will be paying 3.07 per cent more this year in municipal taxes – an increase which adds $91.27 to the average household bill.

Councillors trimmed a variety of budget items and eliminated $2 million in small capital projects that staff figured cannot be completed this year.

This year’s tax increase pays for increases in police and fire protection and a year of relatively ambitious infrastructure repairs, including not only downtown roads (such as Lakeshore Drive), but also the widening of Mapleview Drive.

“In spite of what appears as Monty Hall’s Let’s Make A Deal, there has been a lot of work over the past year to come up with a budget that’s responsible, meets citizen’s expectations for services and provides us with a solid financial footing going forward,” said Coun. John Brassard, noting the budget also includes hiring 12 firefighters, as well as the eight police officers in the $34.6-million police services board budget which the city finances.

This year is also the first full year of operation of the new Holly Recreation Centre, which is augmenting the city’s recreation programming, particularly for young families and teens. The city’s financial plans also set aside cash for a new police station site as well as a south-end library.

Councillors began early Monday night with a series of staff-recommended savings. The first reduced the tax levy to 5.14 per cent – and involved rolling a $750,000 surplus from last year’s capital projects into the operating budget.

Barrie also received $520,000 in MIII funding (Municipal Infrastructure Investment Fund), which councillors split between roads and parks development projects. This grant reduced the tax hike to 4.83 per cent.

“Let’s just keep bringing those prices down,” commented Ward 2 Coun. Jeff Lehman, as he proposed reducing the payment Barrie will make to Simcoe County by $310,000 for land ambulance, social services, children’s services and long-term care; at an earlier meeting, county staff told the city the money the county requires from its partners will ring in less than it had projected as it approved its budget last fall. That move brought the tax increase down to 4.65 per cent.

The largest single chunk the city saved was almost $3 million in roads and bridges. Specifically, the city cut $2 million in debt financing charges for Pine Drive servicing, by using provincial grants to reduce the amount the city must borrow. The city has also decided to use $1 million in grants to assist in funding Anne Street upgrades (between Anne and Tiffin streets).

By 7:40 p.m., the tax increase was down to just over four per cent.

“I feel like we’re playing Let’s Make A Deal,” said Ward 6 Coun. Michael Prowse.

Following that, the city also dropped 15 smaller-scale projects ringing in at $510,800. “These represented projects we were unlikely to complete, and considering the scarcity of funding, we thought it appropriate to defer to 2009,” said the city’s corporate services commissioner Ed Archer.

The move brought the tax hike down to 3.7 per cent.

Lehman also suggested reducing $1.3 million in capital spending, but gave staff leeway to decide how to find the savings in this year’s $230-milion program.

“The issue here is the pace identified can’t quite be achieved. Staff are comfortable deferring this amount,” said Lehman. A staff report will come forward in June detailing what is likely to be left undone.

That move chopped the tax hike to 2.95 per cent. Councillors approved reinvesting $200,000 into the city’s capital reserves, money which was used last year. That brought the tax hike to 3.07 per cent.

The following are City of Barrie tax increases, blended with the zero per cent education levy increase, for this year and the previous five years:

2008: 3.07 per cent

2007: 2.98 per cent
2006: 4.61 per cent
2005: 6.79 per cent
2004: 4.04 per cent
2003: 2.85 per cent