It appears Dryden taxpayers will once again be receiving a break.
The 2021 draft budget has been presented and it includes no tax hike and no increase in water and sewer rates.
However, Council will have to decide how to balance the budget as it carries an operating deficit of $87,150.
Options on the table include a 0.6% property tax increase, drawing from city reserves or using provincial gas tax funds.
Mayor Greg Wilson, Councillor Dave McKay and Councillor Michelle Price pushed to offset the deficit with funds from their city reserves.
The City is facing a number of challenges as labour costs are going up and user fee revenues at the Rec Centre and Airport have gone down $400,000 due to the pandemic and that’s expected to continue heading into the new year.
The initial draft budget had a deficit of roughly $975,000 but staff worked hard to get that number down.
Some service levels could be impacted as a result with weekend hours at the Pool and Fitness Centre proposed to go down to four hours per day, and a reduction in planned maintenance work at the facility.
The budget doesn’t take into account:
-Provisions for a Policing transition to OPP
-Change in the Large Industrial Tax Ratio
-Proposed Library service level increase
-Budget associated with the cost of developing a trails/pathways/bridges feasibility study
-Budget associated with the cost of designing/engineering tennis and pickle ball court development.
Debt servicing costs next year are at $1.06 million and the City has set aside about $75,000 for an Official Plan review.
The draft Capital Budget is set at about $6.19 million.
$3.52-million of that will come from government grants.
Major projects include the replacement of some traffic lights and upgrades to the Recreation Centre.
Council is expected to vote on the 2021 budget at its December 14 meeting.
