Letter to the Editor

It was reported last year that the Township of Scugog had a surplus of 1.3 million dollars in its 2022 budget. I checked with the Treasurer, and this was a combination of projects coming in under budget and income exceeding expectations, and at the request of council, the funds have been transferred into reserve accounts. The problem is that municipal budgets and financial statements are a quagmire of smoke and mirrors making it difficult to see where the money goes. Alternatively, we know that $140,000. represents 1% of taxes so ideally, we should see a 9.28% (1.3 mil/140m) decrease in our taxes for 2023. Of course, this will not happen, but allowing for 2023 inflation increase of 4.5%, we could see a tax reduction of 4.5%. The other alternative is that the total 2022 surplus of 1.3 million be put into the 2023 roads budget!

Sincerely,

Colin Louis Kemp

Nestleton Station