Budget 2023: Mill rate stable in Otter Lake, grants for roads

Budget 2023: Mill rate stable in Otter Lake, grants for roads

The Municipality of Otter Lake has kept their mill rate steady at 62 cents per $100 evaluation, something Mayor Terry Lafleur said has been the case for the past five or six years.

Revenue ($3,844,378)

One of the biggest increases on the revenue side of Otter Lake’s 2023 budget was transfers, which increased from $823,837 in 2022 to $1,427,750 in 2023. Mayor Lafleur explained that they were approved for a large provincial grant (PAVL), which will be used to improve the paving on sections of the Picanoc Road as well as replace several culverts. Director General Andrea Lafleur pointed out that only the first year of the project was reflected in this year’s budget.

DG Lafleur explained that they saw an increase in home prices and sales over the last year, meaning they saw an increase in “welcome tax” revenues, which is a tax paid to the municipality when the title of a property is transferred to a new owner. This increase was reflected in the “assessment of rights” category in their revenues.

Under the “Other revenue” category, the municipality budgeted significantly more than the previous year ($12,000 to $306,200), which DG Lafleur explained was due to anticipated grant funding for their splash pad project.

Expenses ($3,767,478)

Mayor Lafleur estimated that the municipality saw an increase of roughly $140,000 to their shares paid to the MRC.

Under the public security category, there was a significant increase (roughly $100,000), which DG Lafleur said was due to the Otter Lake Fire Department’s merger with the Thorne Department. Expenses are reflected on Otter Lake’s budget, but are reimbursed by shares paid by the Municipality of Thorne, which falls under the “other revenue” category.

A significant increase in the transport category ($1,084,669 in 2022 to $1,911,317 in 2023) was due to their spending of the last of their gas tax revenues, as well as the first year’s portion of the previously mentioned PAVL grant. Mayor Lafleur said that the majority will be spent on road improvements (labour, material, equipment rentals, etc) but they could potentially be claiming some to use on water line extensions on Second Street and possibly chemin Stephens as well.

A summary of Otter Lake’s 2023 budget can be found here: Otter Lake 2023