United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG) council has approved, in principle, its 2024 budget with a 4.36 per cent levy increase in the counties’ portion of the property taxes for an average-valued residential property. A lengthy budget meeting took place on December 6 which involved SDG council attempting to focus on mitigating inflationary pressures while also maintaining service levels.
The total value of the 2024 SDG budget is $86 million. The average value of a residential home in SDG is $220,459, which means that due to the 4.36 per cent residential levy increase, an additional $58.76 for the SDG Counties portion of the property tax bill.
“Ontario municipalities are facing budgetary pressures that have not been experienced in decades. We are not immune to the same inflationary pressures that residents face when they purchase groceries, fill up their vehicles or complete household renovations,” said 2023 SDG Warden Tony Fraser.
“We have an obligation to prudently administer taxpayer investment in our region and council agrees this budget is respectful of that aspiration. “Our council, and administration, understand the pressure being placed on residents under the current economic landscape in our country. We have all worked diligently to mitigate those influences as much as possible,” Fraser added.
Some large-scale or special infrastructure projects that SDG plans to complete in 2024 include:
- 46 kilometres of road resurfacing – $11.5 million
- 10.8 kilometres of pavement preservation (micro-surfacing) – $532,000
- Bridge rehabilitation activities (including $2.3 million for Martintown Bridge) – $5.6 million
The SDG Counties 2024 budget will be officially adopted, by way of tax rate bylaws, at a future council meeting.
