Moosomin holds the line on taxes

October 3, 2012, 4:42 am
Kevin Weedmark

Moosomin town council passed the 2012 budget Wednesday, a budget which keeps the local tax rate at 21 mills for the fifth year in a row.

The tax rate has actually been at 21 mills for most of the time since 1998, when it increased from 18 to 21 mills to start putting aside money for the Southeast Integrated Care Centre.

The mill rate was decreased to 18.5 mills in 2001, but raised to 20 in 2007 and 21 in 2008.

The bottom line on the 2012 budget is a small surplus of $21,625 on total expenses of $6,958,930. The town is benefitting from funding increases thanks to rising total assessment-leading to more tax revenue and rising population-leading to more provincial funding.

Last year the local tax base brought in $1,697,051.06 and this year it will bring in $1,814,971.00.

The town will see more money from the provincial government in the form of revenue sharing this year, receiving $499,007, up from $448,347 last year.

The town will also receive $140,650 in gas tax funding, and $25,000 from Conexus Credit Union for naming rights on the Conexus Convention Centre.

The largest capital project this year will be the new cell at the sewage lagoon. The town has budgeted to complete the lagoon expansion this year. The project will be completed at a total cost of $2,250,000 including engineering fees.

Other utilities department spending will include extending the sewer main along Wright Road from Mark Avenue and Alberni Street, for which a contract was awarded Wednesday.

Upgrades at the water treatment plant include online turbidity meters and new valves.

The town had budgeted $310,000 for new pavement and recapping and $60,000 for spot repairs. About $200,000 of the new pavement budget will go to pave Lake Avenue from Main Street to the new Motel 6.

$45,500 has been budgeted for development of residential lots on the former hospital property, including installation of power, gas, and streetlights. The public works department will extend water and sewer mains in the former hospital property, where 13 residential lots are being developed.

The budget includes $20,000 as the town’s share of a "Welcome to Moosomin" sign being built at the Main Street entrance to town, facing the Trans-Canada Highway. The cost of the project is being shared with the Moosomin Chamber of Commerce, which will cover the other half of the cost. The town crew will begin preparing the ground for the sign soon.

There is $25,000 in the budget for a used pickup truck for the public works department, $66,500 for the purchase of a new John Deere 310 backhoe (the net cost after trade-in of a 1998 backhoe), and $11,000 for a new mower.

The budget also includes:
- $15,000 for four new overhead doors for the fire hall.
- $13,000 for new energy efficient lights for the Communiplex.
- $10,000 for additional new heritage-style street signs
- $5,500 for a new floor scrubber for the Conexus Convention Centre.
- $4,000 for the Dutch Elm Disease program and $2,400 for the West Nile Virus control program.

Mill rate factors remain the same as they have since 2009. The mill rate factor for residential property is .8499, for agricultural property is .8606, and for commercial property is 1.5524.

Mill rate factors are applied before the tax levy, so a house with a $100,000 assessment is taxed as if its assessment was $84,990, and a business with a $100,000 assessment is taxed as if its assessment was $155,240.

There will be a five percent discount on current taxes paid by Sept. 30.