BEACONSFIELD, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Dec. 17, 2014) - Thanks to rigorous management coupled with a vision of the future, the City of Beaconsfield is able to safeguard taxpayers' ability to pay by restricting spending growth in its 2015 budget.
Mayor Georges Bourelle is particularly proud of how the Municipal Administration has managed expenditures because tax growth has been kept within the consumer price index while, at the same time, services to the public have been increased and a range of high-quality services has been maintained.
"At a time when inflation is at 2.2%, the local Beaconsfield tax will increase by only 1.26%, including the water tax. I take special pride in this achievement because, in addition to containing spending growth, we have increased services to our citizens," says Mayor Bourelle.
The 2015 budget will grow by 3.03% to $41,330,524. According to the three-year assessment role, property values have risen by nearly 18% in 2014 compared to 2013; this means that the average property value will increase by $27,203 to $510,683 in 2015. These numbers indicate a 1.25% change in the municipal tax bill, including contributions made to the Agglomeration, that is, a difference of $63.92 for 2015.
In order to achieve this outcome, the Administration has had to deal with two major unforeseen events in 2014: the fight against emerald ash borer, which is threatening a significant part of Beaconsfield's urban forest, and the unexpected curtailment of tax offsets and of the QST refund from the Government of Quebec under the transitional fiscal pact with municipalities. To make up for these surprise developments, the City will use a part of its reserve surplus.
In spite of these additional financial encumbrances, the City has been able to cope with the unanticipated changes as a combined result of sound management, a lower purchase price for water and significantly reduced costs for employee pension plans - all while improving services. As an example, the fight against the emerald ash borer infestation that is threatening 11,000 trees in our territory has required another $300,000 in the City's action response budget.
The budget for ditch repairs has been improved by 50%, increasing from $400,000 to $600,000. This additional effort will help to reduce applicants' waiting time, which is currently estimated to be three years.
Environmentally Responsible
The addition of eight bulky-waste pickups across the City's territory will be part of the enhanced municipal services. Aware of the environmentally responsible behaviour of our citizens, the City is also adding 14 green-waste pickups, raising the total in 2015 from eight to 22. As a result of our citizens' environmental preservation efforts, Beaconsfield will be able to meet the waste reduction targets set by the Government of Quebec.
For reasons of fairness and transparency, the salaries of elected officials have been adjusted to allow them to catch up with the compensation of their peers in similar municipalities. A total salary adjustment of $51,300 for all elected officials was required for this purpose. Beaconsfield's elected officials continue to receive some of the lowest compensation, with a ranking of next to last for all comparable cities on the Island of Montreal.
Systematic Rehabilitation
In order to ensure that our City infrastructures are systematically maintained, we will rehabilitate nearly five kilometres of streets and water/sewer lines in 2015. Thanks to these efforts, we have already been able to realize savings in other areas, such as the cost of drinking water. Effective maintenance of the water supply network has made it possible to reduce water consumption by 20% since 2012, an achievement partially attributable to the fact that the number of underground water network leaks requiring repair has dropped from 60 to 45 a year.
Contact Information:
514 428-4410