Stouffville passes 2022 budget with 1.94 per cent tax increase

Key budget items include new firefighter hires, skating trail construction and Edward Street reconstruction

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 10, 2021
Simon Martin

The 2022 budget is in, and your taxes are going up.

The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville passed a budget with a 1.94 per cent tax levy increase. The 2022 operating budget is pegged at $62,202,320, and $16,757,050 has been allocated for the capital budget. In addition, council approved a Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library and Latcham Art Centre grant of $2,732,260.

“Council is conscious of the pandemic pressures on our residents and as such have approved another prudent budget for 2022,” Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor Iain Lovatt said. “The focus of this budget was to increase service levels across all areas of operation from customer service to fire services, where we have advanced the hiring of two full-time fire suppression staff in the spring instead of waiting until 2023.”

In addition to the new firefighter hires, highlights of the budget also include:

$4,740,450 for Memorial Park Phase 5 -- Skating Trail construction;

$2,740,000 for Edward Street reconstruction;

$448,400 for new neighbourhood park/parkette design and construction;

$359,600 for O’Brien Avenue, Main Street to Rose Avenue reconstruction design phase;

$345,000 for traffic calming initiatives, including roundabout improvements;

$165,000 for Winona Drive, Main to Rupert reconstruction design;

$125,000 for construction of a kids’ scooter track at Memorial Park;

$65,000 for downtown initiatives, including revitalization and tourism opportunities;

$25,000 for construction of a disc golf course at Byers Pond.

The 2022 operating and capital budget and other supporting documents are available online at townofws.ca/budgets.