City council has approved the 2023 budget, which includes a mill rate increase of 4.62 per cent that will — at a minimum — add $74 more to most homeowners’ bills.
During a special budget meeting on Dec. 14, council voted 6-1 to approve the 2023 operating budget and 2023-27 capital and equipment reserve budgets as amended, while it authorized city administration to tender and award the capital and equipment purchases set out for next year in those reserve budget schedules.
Coun. Dawn Luhning was opposed.
From the pocket, most taxpayers will pay an extra $16.15 a month or $193.76 for the year based on this budget.
Meanwhile, council voted unanimously to take $1.6 million from the traffic safety reserve and allocate it to the general capital reserve’s capital budget to fund paving programs and to designate the 16th Avenue feeder main program as the city’s 2023 federal municipal gas tax-funded program.
The mill rate hike includes the municipal property tax increase of 3.60 per cent and an increase of 1.02 per cent for the Moose Jaw Police Service Budget.
Both of those combined add an extra $6.15 per month or $73.80 per year onto homeowners’ bills. Separately, the municipal tax increase is an extra $4.79 per month or $57.48 per year and the police service increase is an extra $1.36 per month or $16.32 per year.
This mill rate increase is expected to generate an additional $1,541,977 for the city’s operating and capital budgets next year.
Furthermore, council voted 6-1 to approve a parks and recreation infrastructure levy of $65 per taxable property and on every dwelling unit in a multi-unit building, with Luhning opposed.
This levy — to support renewing all recreation venues and the new outdoor pool — is expected to generate $1,081,279, which should address a shortfall in the general capital reserve portion of the capital budget. It also equals an extra $5.42 per month on bills.
The amount of money this levy is expected to generate is equal to a tax hike of 3.27 per cent, considering one percentage point of taxation this year is worth $330,701.
Furthermore, during a previous budget meeting, council voted to increase the waterworks utility rates by four per cent and sanitary sewer utility rates by three per cent.
The waterworks increase would add an extra $2.86 per month or $34.32 per year to taxpayers’ bills, while the sanitary sewer increase would add an extra $1.72 per month or $20.64 per year to bills.
That would be an extra $4.58 per month or $54.96 per year for both utilities.
Globally, if all these figures are combined — the municipal tax hike, the police request, infrastructure levy, waterworks, and sanitary sewer — they would equal a total tax hike of 14.89 per cent.
From the pocket, most taxpayers will pay an extra $16.15 a month or $193.76 for the year.
However, since homeowners are still paying $100 per year for the water infrastructure levy to support the cast iron replacement project, most taxpayers will pay an extra $293.76 per year or $24.48 per month.
According to city hall, the “average single family residential property” will pay $1,669.92 in taxes next year — plus both levies of $165 — based on a home assessed at $233,586.
The Moose Jaw Express will feature more stories about council’s deliberations about the 2023 budget.
