CAORA -Town of Canora budget deliberations for 2024 were pretty straightforward, according to Michael Mykytyshyn, chief administrative officer.
In order to facilitate construction of a new transfer station, there was not a lot of leeway in terms of spending on other projects.
Total budget is $8.1 million in matching revenue and expenses. Capital expenditures are forecast to be just over $3.5 million.
“Con-Tech of Saskatoon was awarded the contract to build the transfer station and work has already started,” Mykytyshyn said. “This new solid waste management facility will replace the current landfill and construction will cost about $2.7 million. In turn, the existing landfill is set to be decommissioned (closed) next year, in 2025, at an estimated cost of another $2.4 million.”
The most recent water main replacement are set to wrap up this year with the mains on Evelee Avenue, Seventh Avenue West and a portion of Mary Street having been replaced. This project is a local improvement and benefitting property owners will share in the cost. Owners will receive a notification once the work is completed, giving them the option to prepay some or all of the costs or opt for payments over seven years, Mykytyshyn said.
“The substantial cost of the transfer station limited the number of other projects or purchases that council could consider this year. The landfill project next year will likely have a similar effect.”
This has been a bit of a common theme in the last few years where due to the huge costs of some individual projects, council has had to defer other worthwhile projects including some heavy equipment purchases and large-scale street paving.
“The town was previously on a schedule of paving every three years,” continued Mykytyshyn. “With skyrocketing capital costs and too many other priorities, there hasn’t been a big paving project since 2019, although the town did pay for the curbs and medians when Norway Road was re-paved in 2021.”
However, this year’s budget does include the re-paving of Eighth Avenue West. As a good example of how prices have increased, the town used to spend $1 million and pave several blocks of several streets. This year, this one block of paving alone will cost an estimated $337,000. This does not include any curb repairs that will be required.
The tennis court will receive about $70,000 worth of upgrades to include resurfacing and new multi-purpose nets. The upgraded courts will accommodate the increasingly popular sport of pickleball and the cost will be offset by a $25,000 grant from the New Horizons program.
“People often question why paying their taxes doesn’t result in new or enhanced municipal services and/or infrastructure, particularly in front of or adjacent to their property,” said Mykytyshyn. “The explanation is that a portion of their property taxes goes to education and the municipal portion only makes up 27 per cent of the overall revenue for the town. Total tax revenue in the 2024 budget is about $2.1 million.”
Council has been conscious about maintaining a reasonable tax rate and when tax dollars only make up just over one quarter of the town’s revenue, it means projects have to wait or other sources of revenue have to be accessed. It is a common misconception that property taxes go straight towards street paving or other large-scale projects, emphasized Mykytyshyn.
“To balance the budget this year, council agreed to a $36 raise in the base tax rate and a 0.5 mill increase in the mill rate. This will bring in about $72,000 more tax revenue than last year, an increase of over three per cent overall. Mill rate factors remain at .67 for agricultural, .87 for residential and 2.3 for commercial properties.”
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