County budget settled: Levy to go up by 3.5%

Jeff Green | Feb 11, 2015

Three days were set aside last week for Frontenac County Council to hammer away at the 2015 budget.

In the end it took only two days for the council to accept not only the base budget proposed by County staff, but the extra projects that were proposed as well.

Staff had targeted a 2.8% increase in the amount that ratepayers will be charged for county services this year, based on the annualized consumer price index (CPI) that came out last October. The CPI is a standard that is commonly used in municipal budgeting, as that is when budgets start being put together.

They added a 0.65% capital levy in order to put money aside for asset management to cover for long-term replacement costs.

This resulted in the 3.45% target, and in his summation of budget, Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Pender said that the budget numbers reflected what is needed to maintain service levels.

“Our job is to bring you a budget that reflects the service delivery that exists,” he said.

He also described a long-term budgeting process that has been instituted, whereby increases will be predictably tied to the CPI with a 0.65% capital replacement cost added on, yielding a predictable 10-year projection of tax rates.

“Surprises aren't good in the budgeting world,” he said, in describing his approach.

Treasurer Marian Vanbruinessen presented the budget detail, contradicting Pender's assertion with irony; “I thought this was the most exciting part of everyone’s life,” she said.

Most of the debate at the two budget meetings last week centered on the nine project proposals that were included in the overall budget numbers that were presented, but which are outside the required functions of the county. They could have been set aside if council did not want to proceed with them.

The projects ranged in scope from $8,500 for a consultant to review the pay rates for members of council, to $270,000 to extend the K&P Trail to the north, with a view towards having it completed, from Orser Road at the border with Kingston, to meet the Trans-Canada Trail in Sharbot Lake by the end of 2016.

Other projects include: a $60,000 study of the cost impact of development on private lanes; $77,000 for Community Improvement Plans; $40,000 to purchase a 4x4 vehicle for use by the planning, economic development and GIS departments and for special County events; and $735,000 for the purchase of Power Lift stretchers for the Frontenac Paramedic Services.

Few of the costs associated with these projects will be taken from the 2015 levy to ratepayers. For example, all of the trail development costs come from federal gas tax rebates the county received in the past (all current and future gas tax rebates are transferred to the local townships for use on road and bridge projects).

The Power Lift stretcher project will be 80% funded by the City of Kingston, which is served by Frontenac Paramedic Services, reducing its impact on the county levy.

In the end, none of the nine proposals were rejected. The budget will come forward for formal approval at the regular February meeting of Council, which takes place next Wednesday, February 18.

Barring any last minute amendments, the increase will be 3.45%.

The county levy is included as part of the tax bill that is sent out by each of the townships. Local taxes, which are set by each township, as well as education taxes, are all combined to make up the municipal tax bill.