TISDALE — Tisdale council has passed their budget with a one per cent mill rate property tax increase for the community.
This is consistent with the rate of inflation.
The planned budget would have the town reduce their debt by over $1 million with no budgeted new borrowing. The current debt sits at about $6.5 million.
“We do strive to not borrow if we have to and we like to pay down the loans as quickly as we can,” said Brad Hvidston, Tisdale’s administrator.
“Councils in the past and this council recognized a need for upkeep and maintaining the capital and infrastructure we have. We never want to fall behind on that. It’s important and there is a strategy to ensure that we have enough reserves in place to do projects when we need them.”
Regular improvements in the 2021 year are budgeted to include $572,800 in new paving and $135,000 in water line replacement.
Water line replacement will impact 97th Street between 103rd Avenue and 105th Avenue. Paving will focus on roads dug up from water line replacement in previous years.
Work on Heritage Drive will continue, with $90,000 budgeted for its continuation. This will include digging up part of the road and putting a new base in from 94th avenue to 97th Avenue.
The town budgeted $180,000 for projects at the Aquatic Centre. Half of it budgeted towards a new salt chlorination system for the pool. The other $90,000 has been allotted for tile replacement and maintenance expected to take place toward the end of the pool season.
“We’re in need of a new salt chlorination system,” Hvidston said. “The one we have is outdated and you can no longer get parts for it or can no longer repair it. So that had to be replaced before the start of the season.”
Capital projects include finishing the $5.33 million landfill construction and expansion project, which is expected to be completed by the end of this summer.
The money had been previously allotted to be completed in the previous fiscal year, but Hvidston said they were unable to due to COVID-19 and engineering slowdowns they made the decision to complete the project in 2021.
Council included $875,000 for new residential lot development, which will include extending the water and sewer lines on 98th Street from Golburn Crescent to Doghide Drive.
“That’s the first phase of getting the next grouping of residential lots for sale,” Hvidston said.
“Basically extend Doghide Drive all the way to Highway 35.”
New housing assessments are expected to take place this year across the town, which will impact the amount of property taxes each property owner pays.
“There’s some pretty wild swings. For example we found some residential homes that have gone up quite significantly where it will impact them to the tune of $500 a year in taxes, and then we’ve seen some homes that have gone down $500 a year in taxes.”
There is no increase to the water and sewer utility rates for 2021.
Council chose to continue a 15 per cent discount for payments received in May amid the pandemic. However the discount will only decrease by two per cent per month and not five per cent per month as per previous years.
The budget was written with the prediction that the town will lose $170,000 in decreased revenue due to COVID-19 pandemic through facility rentals and the arena concession. This doesn’t factor in the offset of costs.
“We can offset some of those with less costs for cleaning,” Hvidston said. “Some of the costs are fixed, you can’t reduce the cost.”
