Aurora council whittles tax increase down to 4%

YorkRegion.com
April 2, 2015
Teresa Latchford

The average homeowner is facing a tax hike of $69 this year.

When the projected 2015 budget was first presented to council by town staff, Aurora taxpayers were looking at a possible 6.1 per cent levy increase, meaning a hike of $86 per year for the average home assessed at $500,000.

However, after discussing the capitol and operating budgets and making adjustments such as nixing the downtown streetscaping plan laid out by the Promenade study, specifically the installation of patterned pavement with a price tag of $200,000, town council has decreased the levy to just shy of 4 per cent. When combined with York Region’s 2.7 per cent tax increase, Aurora residents will be forking over an extra $131 a year, $4,970 in total on the average home.

The first budget of a new council term is always challenging because the budget process is lengthy and complex and there's a steep learning curve for new councillors, Mayor Geoff Dawe said.

“I think we could have done a better job of considering potential budget reductions far earlier in the process,” he said, noting budget deliberations have been extended because of significant changes proposed last week.

“I’m certainly in favour of looking at efficiencies, but these need to be focused and strategic.”

He doesn’t believe the town benefits from arbitrary targets as a full analysis of the impact potential cuts could have on service levels is needed in order to make an educated decision.

During the past two budget discussion meetings, council debated reducing the town’s advertising budget by $30,000, proposed by Councillor Wendy Gaertner, as well as a $100,000 slashed from the training and development budget for elected officials and town staff, put on the table by Councillor Tom Mrakas.

While the cuts were supported in a four to three vote,viewpoints on the decreases changed when it came to making the final decision. At this week’s budget meeting the proposals were tossed and replaced with a motion to increase revenues in the operating budget by $100,000 and decrease the total departmental expenses by $300,000. Town staff has also been instructed to report back to council throughout the year regarding the targets.

The April 7 meeting to discuss final approval of the town’s 2015 budget has been cancelled and has yet to be rescheduled as councillors feel there is more discussion needed regarding the operating budget.

As for the 2016 budget, Dawe believes the town will be in a better position due to the implementation of a Finance Advisory Committee, which will provide council with capital planning advice and allow earlier input on the annual budget process.

Proposed budget documents and recordings of budget discussions can be found at aurora.ca