With the 2021 Timmins budget talks ongoing, the second draft of the budget includes a slight drop since the first time it was before council.
Council's second budget meeting was held Feb. 2. The draft document included a 1.46 per cent ($629,566) net expenditure increase. At the first meeting, the proposed net increase was 1.5 per cent ($647,544). The savings from the first document to today is $17,978 in operating costs.
That increase does not include budget increases from the agencies, boards and commissions (ABCs) that could also impact the tax levy.
“This one’s a little bit different where we can’t add or remove. The only thing we can do is have questions and discussion and what we do is either ask the boards to either approve the budget as presented or request the boards for reconsideration,” explained director of finance Natalie Moore.
The proposed ABC budget increases for are:
- No increase - Porcupine Health Unit
- .83 per cent ($86,355) increase - Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board
- 1.5 per cent ($9,000) Mattagami Region Conservation Authority
- 2.14 per cent ($26,710) Timmins Econonomic Development Corporation
- 2.25 per cent ($368,204) - Timmins Police
- 5.49 per cent ($102,130) - library
The 2021 water and sewer rate hike was approved earlier this year and will see the average rate (based on a five-room house) increase $50 — $21 for water and $29 for sewer.
The changes included in this draft of the budget that led to the slight drop in the net expenses were in the operating budgets.
Highlights of those changes included in the report are:
- $32,100 decrease in animal control down for the new contract that was approved in December
- $70,000 decrease for the elimination of the communication manager position
- $27,800 decrease in MPAC fees
- $150,000 decrease in POA fines because courts aren’t open. The report indicates the assumption is there will be less fine revenue in 2021.
- $100,000 decrease in transfer from reserves to reduce the budget increase. In the first draft, $250,000 was earmarked to be transferred and only $150,000 is now included.
- $100,000 increase in insurance premiums. Moore said 10 per cent was included in the first draft and the premium increase was actually 19 per cent increase.
Nothing was approved at the council meeting.
Moore said the goal is to have council approve the budget at the Feb. 9 council meeting.
“If that happens then we can bring the tax rates and ratios in early March and have them approved early March to be able to send out the tax bills in May,” she said.
Read the full presentation of the second draft budget here.
