Budget 2023: Shawville raises mill rate, service charges due to rising expenses

Budget 2023: Shawville raises mill rate, service charges due to rising expenses

CHIP 101.9 spoke with Shawville Mayor Bill McCleary about the municipality’s recently passed budget for 2023. He said that this year’s budget wasn’t easy, as expenses were up due to pressures from inflation and the increased cost of gas.

Revenue ($2,871,945)

McCleary said that they raised the mill rate for 2023 to 83 cents per $100 valuation from 79 cents the year before, in order to keep up with rising expenses. He pointed out that taxes make up less than half of overall revenues in the budget, and that they had to also slightly increase the costs of services like sewage and garbage as well.

The municipality ended up appropriating $305,586 of their surplus to cover the projected deficit.

Expenses ($3,177,531)

Like other municipalities, Shawville’s MRC-related expenses rose in 2023: assessment rose to $92,369 from $71,868 in 2022, an increase of $20,501. Their share of MRC administrative expenses also increased from $71,633 in 2022 to $103,812 this year, an increase of $32,179. Their share of regional public safety spending also saw moderate increases: approximately $7,000 for police and roughly $5,000 for MRC fire protection.

He said that the cost of one of their bigger infrastructure projects, an updated pumphouse serving the east end of the town, had increased significantly since the start of the project, and he said that it was one of the biggest reasons why they had to dip into their surplus to balance the budget.

The municipality also budgeted a little over $8,000 on cameras to keep an eye on municipal property, including Mill Dam Park, the municipal garage and the rear of the arena. McCleary cited some instances of vandalism at the park, as well as the theft of fuel from a tank behind the arena as the reason for the improved security measures.

The Municipality of Shawville’s budget document can be found here: Budget2023scan