The Citizen, 2019-01-24, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2019.
Huron County Treasurer Michael
Blumhagen is proposing a 3.75 per
cent increase to the county budget
for 2019.
Blumhagen presented the first
draft of the budget to council at its
Jan. 16 meeting, telling council that
in its current form, the county levy
would increase by just over $1.5
million.
However, because the county’s
unweighted property assessment
value has increased by over $1.2
billion, the proposed county tax rate
would actually represent a tax rate
reduction of 2.98 per cent.
If the county were to maintain the
same tax rates as 2018, Blumhagen
said in his report, the tax rate
increase would be nearly seven per
cent.
Blumhagen said that the draft
budget would result in a decrease of
$1.85 per $100,000 of residential
assessment. The median residential
property in Huron County, being
valued at $210,000, would see a
decrease of $10.84 on that same
level of assessment under the
proposed tax rate.
For farmland, the proposed
increase per $100,000 of property
would be $13.77, meaning that the
median farm property in Huron
County, valued at $966,820, would
see an increase of $112.26.
In an effort to limit staff salary
increases, Blumhagen said non-
union salary increases will be set at
1.5 per cent for 2019. In regards to
union increases, the county will be at
the mercy of arbitration with the
corresponding unions for those
potential increases.
While Blumhagen said that the
county is in a relatively stable
position, expecting a year-end
surplus for 2018 and a healthy level
of reserves, he said there are
ongoing pressures that his
department has to take into account.
While nothing has been finalized,
he expects that the Ontario
Municipal Partnership Fund
(OMPF) money will be further
reduced by the provincial
government, which will affect the
county’s budget. He also said that
the county will be paying over $50
million in total labour costs of salary
and benefits in 2019, which will be a
strain on the budget.
For comparison, Blumhagen
included a chart featuring the county
levy for the last 18 years, dating
back to 2000 when the total levy was
$17.7 million.
The levy has since more than
doubled with a levy of $40.1 million
in 2018 and a proposed levy of
approximately $41.6 million for
2019.
Huron County Council will be
considering the budget in the
coming months after departments
present their budgets to council and
special budget sessions are held,
with a final budget to be presented
later this year. Then, a final budget
increase will be approved by Huron
County Council.
Blumhagen proposes 3.75 per cent budget increase
February 27
son of
Darren & Sarah (McLellan)
Baxter
Darren Gordon
Lyle Baxter
May 6
daughter of
Adam & Kelly-Ann
Keys
Emiline Kelly
Keys
April 27
daughter of
Danny & Lori Anne
Forbes
Elsie Dawn
Forbes
April 26
daughter of
Mark & Sarah
Caldwell
Callie
Caldwell
April 13
son of
Kris & Amy
Wright
Kaden Thomas
Wright
May 4
daughter of
Tyler Kraemer &
Taylor Higgins
Evelyn Rose Ann
Higgins-Kraemer
January 10
son of
Michael & Bonnie
Bromley
Robert John
Bromley
Babies of 2018
Baby It’s You
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Get information
on Huron County attractions
on the
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section of our website
www.stopsalongtheway.ca