No new user fees or area rates
The Council for the Municipality of Shelburne approved the 2015-16 operating, reserve and capital budgets at its Monday, June 22, according to a news release from MODS. This budget reflects the priorities of Council while maintaining existing service levels, without increasing the tax rate, the release states.
The residential and resource tax rate has been approved at $1.26 per $100 of assessment and the commercial tax rate has been approved at $1.82 per $100 of assessment. The gross operating budget was set at $6,013,411 with nearly $700,000 allocated to capital investments.
This fiscal year’s budget focuses on healthcare with $450,000 allocated to a medical clinic and investments towards physician and nurse recruitment. A commitment of $50,000 toward phase three of the upgrades to Shelburne County Arena was made, representing the first contribution of a four year total commitment of $200,000 to this project.
Further, says the release, "the Municipality continues to invest in its communities." Approximately $100,000 has been allocated to economic development, $20,000 to the continuous implementation of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP), $35,000 for grants to organizations and nearly $60,000 to support museums and tourism groups.
The Municipality is pleased, the releasde adds, to be able to allocate funds to all of these goals and initiatives, while maintaining the tax rate. No user fees or area rates will be implemented with this budget.