Grenville-sur-la-Rouge has a municipal budget for 2022. Council approved the revenue and expenditure estimates for the year on December 14, 2021.
“We are investing in the citizens to get ready for the future,” said Councillor Denis Fillion, who oversees the budget process on behalf of council.
Municipal revenue in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge is anticipated to be $6,840,000 in 2022 and municipal expenditures are projected to be $6,382,340, which means there is a projected surplus of $457,660.
The municipality attempted to keep tax rate increases within a Consumer Price Index (inflation rate) or cost of living allowance (COLA) increase of 5.1 per cent. The municipality will collect $5,209,945 in revenue in 2022, which is 5.52 per cent, or $272,530 more than the $4,937,415 it collected in 2021. However, the actual increase in tax revenue is 4.8 per cent. The average value of a residential house in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge is $168,837. Taxes for a residential property at that value will increase by $87.97 in 2022, to $1,915.39 from $1,827.43 in 2021.
“I think that’s good news, that we stayed behind COLA,” said Fillion.
“We did a lot of work to achieve that,” he added.
Grenville-sur-la-Rouge is continuing its three-year investment program from 2022 to 2024. The total value for 2022 is $5,754,000 and includes a $3,955,000 investment in further road improvements, and $749,000 for equipment. Additional grant funding from the Québec government in the form of local loads fund grants and rebates from both the provincial and federal gas taxes total $2,162,898 for 2022. During the past four years, more than 20 kilometres of municipal road improvements have been made in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge. Further improvements to chemin Kilmar are planned in 2022.
Fillion said continued budgetary challenges for the municipality include overcoming past insufficient investments in infrastructure, Québec’s Orientation 10 zoning regulation and securing further grants from upper levels of government. The cost of essential materials for operations is also a challenge.
“We’re using a lot of gasoline and construction materials,” said Fillion.
Other municipal programs Grenville-sur-la-Rouge plans to continue offering in 2022 are the Rénofaçade program, which allows $5,000 in financial aid to property owners in designated urban areas to improve the appearance of the front of their homes. The Rive Action program, which also provides $5,000 to shoreline property owners to re-naturalize shorelines, will continue, and so will the Eco-Prêt program, which provides loans to eligible property owners for the replacement of septic systems.
Finance Coordinator and Deputy D-G leaves
Shortly after the 2022 budget was approved by Grenville-sur-la-Rouge council on December 14, council approved the resignation of the person who did a lot of the work to establish the budget. Serge Raymond had served as Finance Coordinator and Deputy Director-General of the municipality for three years. Raymond has accepted another municipal position in the MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges.
