Town pegs tax bump at 2.49%

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Derek Dunn

EMC News - Council made a deliberate decision to flat line the 2012 Arnprior budget and wrestle down the municipal property tax increase to 2.49 per cent, says Mayor David Reid.

The hike brings $157,500 more into town coffers for everything from road resurfacing to projection studies to even a new skateboard park at the Nick Smith Centre.

Reid said new accounting software wasn't in place in time to provide comparables, but that next year an in-depth analysis of the actuals will help guide council to direct money toward priorities.

"It was kind of a difficult situation, but it had to be done. It's behind us now," he said. "And I think it went well despite that. We had a good cross-section of meeting all needs of all departments."

He said public safety takes priority, which is why council gave thumbs up to vehicle and equipment replacements in the fire services.

Youth programs to keep young people occupied were saved, and the wooden skateboard structure will be replaced with a metal one this spring.

A $50,000 study to do streetscaping and landscaping of John and Elgin streets will begin with asking the public what it would like to see - be it more benches, greenspace, new sidewalks, updated light standards, and more.

Coun. Mark Willmer said the exercise should alert resident to the possibilities.

"It would get people excited and aware," Willmer said in arguing for the expenditure at the Feb. 8 meeting.

Another project he championed was upgrading of the D.A. Gillies Building, home of the Arnprior and District Museum.

He said money should go toward the building every year, so $25,000 this year for windows to reduce energy costs fits with a commitment made by a previous council.

"It is the centrepiece of town," he said. "We need to do something every year."

Coun. Ted Strike said he feels as strongly about roads as Willmer does about arts and culture. Willmer countered that money is going toward roads.

Coun. Dan Lynch reluctantly voted in favour of the spending, but not before indicating his frustrations with the building and musing aloud about asking the federal government to take over ownership.

"This museum is a bottomless pit of money," Lynch said. "Some day it will die."

Willmer said he doubts council will let it crumble to the ground.

"It's Arnprior's Parliament Building," he said.

The long-awaited reconstruction of Landrigan Street scored a partial victory, thanks to heavy lobbying by Reeve Walter Stack, who managed to convince colleagues that a $63,000 design study, complete with "camera-ing" underground pipes, will set it up for reconstruction likely in 2013.

Strike added that unless the work is done soon, the town may be forced to ask the school buses to find another route.

He would also like to see lifetime-costing for roads built into future budgets.

Council approved $13,000 for the parking lot between the library and museum, another $6,000 will go toward a furnace for the library's main circulation desk and upstairs workroom and office areas.

A compromised was reached on increasing user fees and charges.

Many will increase by 2.5 or 5 per cent in 2012, though not swimming instruction which is already priced higher than neighbouring areas.

Although money has gone toward plans to revitalize downtown streets, Coun. Lynn Grinstead, who liaisons with the business improvement area, couldn't convince others at the table to fund the $35,000 community improvement fund that would provide financial incentives to have businesses upgrade storefronts and more.

A $20,000 marketing strategy was also put on the backburner this year, along with a tourist information booth and downtown revitalization co-ordinator position.

Instead, about $97,000 was set aside to "shave and pave" smaller streets such as Mima, Atkinson and Thomas.

Reid reiterated that the budget posed some challenges, but with the 25-years-experience of David Pollard in the role of treasurer and acting chief administrative officer, "we got through the budget really well."

He said next year will see a "totally different" process in place, guided by the July completion of the infrastructure master plan. It will prioritize needs and free council to take action.

Council is set to approve the 2012 budget next Tuesday, in a move largely seen as a formality.