Budget deliberations will not likely start for a while, but Amherstburg residents are warned to expect an increase in the general property tax rate again next year.
"I tell people who ask if there's going to be a tax increase, I usually say, 'well, yes,'" says Amherstburg Mayor Aldo DiCarlo.
Departments have been instructed to come back with budgets that fall in line with a 2% property tax increase.
"Does the 2% mean an absolute 2% increase? No," DiCarlo says, noting that much will depend on the draft budget. "It's a guiding point for administration."
It is consistent with past years. Last year, council approved a 1.8% increase in the general rate and 2.3% in 2016. The year before that, the rate went up 0.26%.
DiCarlo admits Amherstburg, like most municipalities across Canada, is grappling with an infrastructure deficit that only grows so long as councils refuse to invest.
"In the past, I know the easy way out was just to say, nope. We'll keep it as low as we can, but I think what we've learned is that it just compounds over time," he says. "Now we're playing catch up while having to address future issues at the same time."
DiCarlo could not say how much the town's infrastructure deficit is, but CAO John Miceli says the overall infrastructure deficit which includes roads, bridges, and sewers is $23.08-million. For water infrastructure alone, it is $15.8-million.
DiCarlo says, "I would say ours is very similar to other municipalities our size."
Meanwhile, town council has also approved its Basement Flood Protection Subsidy Program. Residents can apply to have the full cost of backwater valves, sump pumps and downspout disconnections covered by the municipality.
DiCarlo says officials will be going to individual properties that already have taken those measures and continue to have basement flooding.
