Halton property owners will have to dig into their wallets, but the increased costs for regional and police services in 2015 will still be far less than a 24-case of beer.
Regional council on Wednesday approved an operating budget of $464.3 million for regional services, calling for a 1.5 per cent property tax hike.
That means owners of an average home assessed at $400,000 in Burlington, Oakville, Milton, and Halton Hills will pay $844, about $12 more than they paid in 2014.
Average homeowner will pay
When the approved police budget is added into the mix, the average home owner will pay a combined tax of $1,332 in 2015 or roughly $20 more than what they paid last year.
Essentially, the overall tax increase is about $5 per $100,000 of residential assessment in the budget presented by Mark Scinocca, Halton’s Finance Commissioner and Regional Treasurer.
For the full tax impact, residents must add education and municipal tax increases to the Regional tax hike.
Regional taxes pay for a variety of Halton services, such as water and wastewater, regional roads and planning, paramedic services, public health and social assistance, various children’s and seniors’ services, non-profit housing, heritage programs and emergency management and economic development.
In addition to regional services, on the average, Halton residents can expect to see their water bills increase by 4.9 per cent or $42 next year.
Water and wastewater services aren’t supported by property taxes under provincial orders.
Scinocca said the budget was driven by several factors such as investments to maintain existing infrastructure, connecting people with services, maintaining financial stability, economic growth and adapting to climate change.
“The budget includes a continued focus on investments in the planning and delivery of services and in meeting the service demands related to provincially-mandated growth,” Scinocca said.
“The Region’s 2015 budget includes significant investments in Regional assets, infrastructure and facilities. The budget is based on the solid financial planning principles for which Halton is recognized. It continues the Region’s focus on maintaining service levels, making strategic investments and maintaining the tax rate increase for Regional services within the rate of inflation.”
Region’s 2015 budget highlights
Highlights include an additional $1 million for additional paramedic staff and vehicles, $200,000 for crisis prevention, COMMANDE, a multi-agency initiative committed to the health and safety of the community by providing real-time, co-ordinated responses to high-risk situations, $5.5 million for strengthened emergency management including emergency generator systems strategically placed in the Region and a further $378,000 to increase the Region’s capacity to respond to emergencies and urgent incidents that impact the community.
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http://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/5293702-halton-region-to-hike-property-taxes-1-5-per-cent/