GREENSTONE — The municipality of Greenstone has nearly locked in its financial plan for infrastructural improvements and continued residential growth over the coming year.
Open house meetings to discuss Greenstone's 2024 budget with residents were held in communities across the municpality during the first week of December.
During a regular council meeting on Dec. 11, Mayor Jamie McPherson and the municipal council unanimously approved the 2024 operating and capital budget in principle.
The budget is expected to pass with few major changes when council holds a final vote of approval at Greenstone’s first regular council meeting in the new year, on Jan. 15.
Between a three per cent increase in the tax levy, around a six per cent increase in water and sewer rates, and a less than one percent increase in the overall operating budget, municipal leaders called the budget a strong plan moving financially into the new year with a total that lands around $35.3 million.
The three per cent tax levy increase is expected to generate an additional $18 million in revenue for the municipality.
Mayor and council expressed widespread agreement over the newly proposed budget.
Coun. Matthew Donovan expressed his enthusiam about the document in no uncertain terms.
“I am blown away by the work that our staff has done to get this to us now,” Donovan said. “I wanted to say something to staff: when other municipalities call you and offer you a job, you tell them to go pound sand.”
Mayor Jamie McPherson said that the budget staff put together is a reflection of how the municipality is preparing for capital work they anticipate will be needed over the next several years.
“As we’ve learned, we can get a better value for a dollar spent. If we can put some money aside, we get a better contract, bigger work, we can get some better prices – and, therefore, a better return for residents of our community,” McPherson said.
“We’ve got three dedicated amounts going to reserves to help us move forward. We have a lot of major capital coming forward in the next five years, we need to start getting some money put aside.”
With an $8.3-million capital budget and $5.8-million water and sewage budget, McPherson is not kidding about putting money aside.
The operating budget for the municipality comes in at around $21 million.
McPherson said that will amount to about a $40 increase in the average residential tax payer.
"The crew have looked for tremendous efficiencies," he said. "They’ve done yeoman’s work in getting that and keeping that line item set… we are looking at every service that Greenstone provides, over the last six months and twelve months into next year. We’ve increased some rates – certainly, at some of the cap facilities – we’ve looked at senior reviews… we are looking at every single service to see what we want, is it what we’re actually providing, that we say we’re doing, and what do the residents want us to provide? And maybe [there’s] something we’re not doing that residents want."
One of the biggest items on the agenda for the 2024 year is the replacing of filters at the Longlac water treatment plant and painting Greenstone’s two water towers.
The municipality is also planning to replace the ice plants at the Longlac Sportsplex and Nakina’s community arena with a mixture of funding from the capital budget and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC).
That NOHFC funding – announced in October – is also being put towards structural improvements and repairs to the Beardmore arena as well.
However, the Beardmore arena will not see any action until 2025, whereas Longlac and Nakina are on the bill for the 2024 fiscal year.
The Longlac Sportsplex will also be undergoing a roof replacement which McPherson said will ultimately run the municipality a bill of about $1 million.