DAN CEARNS, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, for The Standard
BROCK: The Township of Brock has approved their 2022 Operating and Capital budgets.
The decision was made at a meeting on Monday, February 28th. The budget includes a tax increase of 2.17 percent.
Interim Treasurer Sheila Strain praised council members for how they were able to pare down the budget.
“We started at 3.91 percent, which seemed to me to be fairly reasonable, given what was happening around Durham Region. Council, throughout the discussions and negotiations, brought it in at 2.17 percent. But what I was so interested in was the amount of good projects you still have included in there. You haven’t cut it to hurt it,” she said.
A staff report explained how this tax increase will impact local residents.
“On an average residential assessment of $300,200, the municipal tax annual increase is $30, or $2.50 per month. The combined Region/Education/Municipal tax levy increase is estimated at 1.80 percent, which is a monthly increase of $6.38 for a home assessed at $300,200.”
Mayor John Grant stated this budget is “setting the stage for a better future for the residents of Brock Township.”
Ward 4 Councillor Cria Pettingill described it as a “very modest tax increase.”
Ward 3 Councillor Walter Schummer was the only member of the council who didn’t support the budget when it was brought to a vote. He explained, while Brock council “should be proud of its accomplishments over the last three budgets,” he feels the tax increase “still remains outside [his] comfort zone.”