North Perth council presented the first draft of their 2010 operating budget recently, coming in at a 4.7 per cent increase.
North Perth mayor and 2010 budget chair Ed Hollinger earlier stated that he’d like to see the municipal budget come in around 3 per cent, but is happy with 4.7 per cent as a starting point. Hollinger is confident that a lower amount can be reached in future meetings without giving up many services.
“I think it’s attainable by not making any major service changes to the community, which is a bonus,” Hollinger said.
Broken down into departments, the 4.7 per cent budget reflects increases of 4.9 per cent in administration, 6.6 per cent for library operations, 1.2 per cent for fire services, 4.5 per cent in public works, and 2.9 per cent for recreation.
Representing the department with the largest budget increase, North Perth Library CEO Sheila Durand said the 6.6 per cent is largely due to wages of three full-time and five part-time employees. When asked about reducing the hours of operation for the libraries, Durand responded that residents have expressed a need for longer hours, not shorter.
Fire chief Ed Smith was applauded by councillors for coming in with a minimal increase of 1.2 per cent, which Smith said includes a re-negotiated contract with the firefighters to give them a raise from $21.46 an hour to $22. The decision to continue pursuing a deputy chief also has little impact on this year’s budget because it was included in last year’s numbers, Smith said.
Separate discussion took place over the need for a dedicated IT position in the municipal offices, as finance manager Frances Hale said it would be an asset to future operations.
“We really need someone in house to help us with the new technology and who is well-rounded to all of it,” Hale said.
continued on page 2
Based on what the municipality is already spending on hiring outside companies, Hale said paying the wages of a municipal employee would have little impact on the net budget.
The concensus from council was that the 4.7 per cent budget could be trimmed to a more agreeable number. Coun. Dave Johnson said he was hoping to have a final budget around 3 per cent.
“I don’t see a lot of spots to squeeze, so I don’t know if we can get it down to that,” Johnson said.
Other councilors commented that they’d like to see an even lower increase, with Coun. Bob Martin asking as low as 1.5 per cent.
“We’ve asked the residents of North Perth for a lot last year that was forced upon them, and an increase in taxes would just be another kick,” he said.
Hollinger said council will be looking at the capital budget at the Feb. 3 meeting, but anticipates that the majority of it will already be covered through reserves in the operating budget. Following that, the final municipal budget will depend on what comes from the Avon Maitland District School Board and the county.
“I foresee the county having challenges with theirs, but in the last two years they’ve stayed around 0 per cent so they could end somewhere in there,” Hollinger said.