Timmins residents getting property tax increase
If you live in Timmins, get ready to pay more in property tax.
Tuesday night, city council approved its 2024 taxation fund budget with a three per cent increase.
To keep the rate hike to three per cent, council is taking $260,000 from the city's reserves.
However, a city official told CTV News that how much extra taxpayers will pay won't be known until April as the city is still waiting for some numbers to come in.
"The next step is confirming 2024 school board and property assessments and approved budgets for the city’s service partners and provincially mandated programs, before approving the final tax rates for 2024,'" Natalie Moore, the city's director of finance, is quoted as saying in the news release.
Timmins' net operating budget is $36,741,667 this year.
- Download the CTV News app now
- Get local breaking news alerts
- Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox
"The operating budget covers the cost of daily municipal services such as maintenance of city roads, public transit, garbage collection, snow removal, and parks and arena maintenance," the city said.
More than $10 million of the $38 million capital budget will be covered by taxes, while the balance will be covered by the city's reserves.
"Capital funds support the creation, repair, or replacement of municipal assets that are required to deliver daily services to the community, including infrastructure like roads. This amount does not include capital expenses related to water and wastewater, which are approved as part of the separate utilities fund budget," the city said.
Here are a few things included in the capital budget:
- $2.1 million for road repair through the City’s grind and pave program
- $3.5 million (offset by funding) for upgrades to the Mattagami and Porcupine bridges as part of Connecting Link rehabilitation
- $2 million (offset by funding) for repairs to the Mattagami boat launch pier and retaining wall
- $1.7 million in fleet purchases for the Timmins Fire Department
- $5.6 million for Porcupine River Bridge construction (offset with reserve and funding)
- Continue Golden Manor redevelopment
- Final downtown segment of the Connecting Link
- Implementing some recommendations from the updated recreation master plan
"We are focused on meeting residents’ daily needs and making long-term plans that will move Timmins forward with room for expansion and development," city CAO Dave Landers is quoted as saying in the news release.
"We recognize that our financial resources are finite, and have worked diligently to balance service delivery with capital demand, such as road and infrastructure upgrades."
Mayor Michelle Boileau said city council focused on how it can work to improve the quality of life of residents.
"The budget will support a variety of projects and programs that will rehabilitate necessary infrastructure, prioritize community safety and well-being, and encourage growth and development," Boileau said.
TRANSIT MODERNIZATION
Meanwhile, Timmins transit said it has some modernization plans in the works for this year.
Officials said this includes four new conventional buses, a new fare box system and the introduction of a micro-transit pilot project for riders in the Porcupine and South Porcupine areas.
This will include the use of a new Timmins on-demand app currently in development.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Slovak defence minister says doctors are fighting for life of prime minister who was shot
The Slovak defence minister says doctors are fighting for the life of the country's prime minister, who was shot multiple times after a political event Wednesday afternoon.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
BREAKING Ontario's 'crypto king' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
BREAKING Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge hit a bridge in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a small island, officials said.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION Your attention span is shrinking, studies say. Here's how to stay focused: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.