Stouffville passes 2021 budget with property tax hike of 1.89 per cent

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 budget focuses more than ever on being fiscally reasonable'

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 14, 2020

Whitchurch-Stouffville council voted to pass the 2021 budget, and your taxes are going up a little. The operating budget is $62,428,485, and the capital budget is $12,955,600.

The town’s portion of the tax bill includes a 1.89 per cent tax levy increase. The tax increase is comprised of a 0.89 per cent levy increase for day-to-day operating expenses and a 1 per cent increase for capital levy. The 1.89 per cent increase is significantly smaller than the 5.2 per cent increase that came with the 2020 budget, as the town tried to minimize the size of the increase.

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 budget focuses more than ever on being fiscally reasonable,” Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor Iain Lovatt said. “However, the town is still determined to maintain and increase service levels residents rely on every day. We are absolutely committed to enhancing our residents’ living, working and leisure experiences here in town.”

The 2021 operating budget includes the Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library grant of $2,164,730.

Highlights for the operating budget include hiring two full-time parking bylaw officers, one customer service associate, four firefighters, an arborist and two part-time road workers.

Highlights from the capital budget include $1.6 million for Lloyd Street re-construction, $1.5 million for various roads repairs, $900,000 for a pumper truck replacement, the Memorial Park skating trail design and $700,000 for the Vanzant Court sewer replacement.

“I want to thank the mayor and council for their leadership on guiding the municipality and the community through the 2021 budget deliberations during one of the most challenging times, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” chief administrative officer Rob Adams said.

The 2021 operating and capital budget are available online at townofws.ca/budgets.