Limerick Township passes 2023 budget with 3.99 per cent increase

By Mike Riley

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

At their meeting on April 17, Limerick Township council passed their final 2023 budget with an increase of 3.99 per cent for the coming year, which was a marked decrease from the 5.45 to 6.28 per cent proposed when council reviewed the draft budget on March 20. Victoria Tisdale, the clerk and treasurer, comments on this tax increase for 2023.

Limerick Township council last reviewed their 2023 draft budget at a special meeting on March 20. Tisdale took council through a presentation of the 2023 draft budget and council had questions and discussed the finer points to the budget. At that point, Tisdale estimated there would be a 5.45 to 6.28 per cent tax increase over last year, which in the last month, she and staff had managed to decrease to 3.99 per cent.

Council said at the March 20 meeting that they would like to see the tax increase as low as possible, between two and five per cent, as they felt anything less would not be doable considering the economic outlook, so this increase falls in line with that request.

At the April 17 meeting, Mayor Kim Carson introduced the budget discussion and again congratulated staff for going through everything and finalizing the budget for passage.

Council then engaged in a discussion on the purchase of a new excavator; whether they should buy it outright at $320,000 or finance it partially or totally over six years. They finally decided to put $150,000 toward the excavator's purchase price, which had been headed for the reserves, and finance the remaining balance of $170,000.

At their March 20 meeting, Tisdale told council that they currently spend $20,000 per year renting one for two months for a multitude of tasks, including brushing, rock breaking, road widening, waste site compacting and more.

The $170,000 to be financed would decrease by the upcoming sale of surplus vehicles that would net the township approximately $60,000. Council also said they intend to rent out the new excavator to other municipalities with a staff person to operate it, so that would bring in additional capital to Limerick's coffers and help to pay off the excavator more quickly.

Council was happy overall with the 3.99 per cent increase that Tisdale and staff had managed to come up with for the 2023 budget and they unanimously voted to pass it.

Tisdale told Bancroft This Week on April 20 that this year's budget was challenging given the dynamics of the economy this year.

“Inflation has affected virtually every industry, including goods and services that municipalities rely on,” she says. “I am happy that council was able to pass the budget with a 3.99 per cent increase, while still being able to provide the same level of services.”