Proposed Township tax hike now down to 5.94 per cent
By Anneleen Naudts

King councillors and the public were told Monday night that the Township is now looking at a property tax increase of 5.94 per cent.

That just covers the local portion of the proposed tax hike, and does not take into account taxes that will be imposed by York Region or for education. The Region has yet to set its budget.

The 5.94 per cent figure includes the township operations, as well as contributions to the Holland Marsh Board and Township Library Board, which are financially dependent upon King.

The contents of the 2008 operating and capital budgets have been under discussion following working sessions Feb. 21 and March 20. Refinements have continuously been made, and the proposed tax rate has subsequently been lowered, CAO Scott Somerville reported.

Township has recently received an Ontario Roads grant of $697,679 and a Provincial grant of $6,625,000 for the municipality's portion of the Holland Marsh Drainage System project. Somerville pointed out the grants have not been used to lower the tax rate, but will be used for their intended purposes, namely roads, bridges and culverts to name a few, as well as the work on the Marsh.

Contained in the proposed budget are the salaries associated with new staff positions, which will include a purchasing coordinator in the finance department, a records manager in the clerks' department and two operators in the parks and recreation department. The annual impact of the additional staffing will be $278,100.

Members of the public received their chance to comment on the budget Monday night, and several of them did.

Kettleby resident Bob Martin commented on the Township's financial forecast. He called on councillors to sort out the capital expenditure priorities and how they are to be financed without detriment to current and future taxpayers.

"The financial difficulties are staring us in the face," he said. "If the financial problems are not sorted out, King will cease to exist."

Mary Tribuzio, a King City resident since 1989, said she noticed a lot of wealth in the Township, but found herself in a more difficult position due to a series of job losses.

She opposed the 5.94 per cent tax increase. "We can't live with that," she said. "It is unreasonable and unjustifiable."

"It is not in line with inflation, and it certainly is not in line with my wage increases," she added. "I don't want to move. Don't push me out of this town because of a tax increase."

Henry Verbruggen, director of the newly amalgamated King Chamber of Commerce, thanked staff for all the hard work over the past weeks. He spoke to council with regard to grants, saying they should be allocated as much as possible to roads, bridges, etc. While council should watch out for a tax increase, it also needs to make sure "our Township has good roads," he remarked.

Council went on to discuss community grant applications. A total of $20,000 had been allocated for the grants. While councillors considered grants for the applicants, these allocations are pending approval and have not yet been made official.

The budget may potentially be approved either April 14 or April 28, advised Township Clerk Chris Somerville.