Oro-Medonte council has approved the township’s 2023-24 budget, which includes a 4.5 per cent tax increase.
Council passed the budget Wednesday, approving what amounts to an additional $202.31 in 2023 on a residential home assessed at $500,000. The overall increase includes the County of Simcoe, school boards, and municipal portions.
The budget includes an additional, one-time investment of $1.6 million for road rehabilitation projects.
Highlights of the budget provided by the township include the following:
- Line 13 North bridge south of 15/16 Sideroad — $500,000
- Dunns Line bridge — $500,000
- Algonquin Trail in Sugarbush: road rehabilitation and drainage — $600,000; upgrades to the Sugarbush drinking-water system — $900,000
- Hawkestone and Shanty Bay wharf repairs — $350,000
- Creation of a legal contingency reserve — $200,000
- Continuing completion of digital transformation projects across the township
- Community centre/elementary school partnership in Horseshoe Valley — approximately $7.5 million
“Planning a budget to build Oro-Medonte’s exciting future while maintaining fiscal responsibility was a key focus during preparation of the 2023-24, multi-year budget. On behalf of council and staff, I am pleased that we have been able to strike a balance of ensuring strategic investment into infrastructure projects and maintaining service levels while keeping the increase below the rate of inflation,” Mayor Randy Greenlaw said in a news release.
During budget deliberation, he added, “current economic challenges impacting the taxpayers of Oro-Medonte were given thoughtful and careful consideration.”
Budget presentations can be found at the following links: bit.ly/40ikPK1, bit.ly/3zku1BP and bit.ly/3TTuzYF.
