The Town of Kingsville has released the 2023 Draft Budget, which will be presented and deliberated at two special meetings of Council this month.
The Town adopts an annual budget to fund various services, including roads, police, fire, parks & recreation, waste collection, and many others. The budget also provides an opportunity to direct resources toward strategic priorities and capital projects.
What improvements could you see this year?
Major capital projects proposed for 2023 include:
- Completion of Road 2 E (Graham to Division)
- $2.8 million in road resurfacing projects
- Replacement of Road 11 Bridge over Patterson Drain
- Engineering and design of Westside Collector Road
- New arena floor cooling system and board replacement
- Phase 3 of Lion’s Park with accessible playground
- Paving of the parking lot at Mettawas Park
- Paved walking trail at Ridgeview Park
- Completion of new Dog Park & Baseball Diamond upgrades
Key Challenges
Every year, the Town must respond to financial pressures as it prepares its budget. For 2023, the key challenges are;
- Increasing investment in infrastructure and facilities
- Maintaining service levels
- Investing for the future
- Inflation
Investing in Infrastructure and Facilities
The Town’s Asset Management Plan has identified a significant infrastructure funding deficit. Simply put, we must invest more money into our roads, bridges, storm sewers and buildings to maintain them over the long term. This issue is further compounded by rapidly increasing construction costs.
The 2023 budget is responding to this challenge by dedicating a 1% rate increase to infrastructure spending and a further 1% rate increase for investment in municipal facilities. This rate increase is part of a long-term strategy to reduce our infrastructure funding deficit over the next 10-15 years.
Maintaining Service Levels
As the Town grows, the ability to maintain service levels depends on appropriate staffing levels. The 2023 budget includes three new positions. All three of the proposed positions are front-line workers, which will directly impact the quality of roads, parks and customer service.
Investing for the Future
With the construction of the new K-12 public school well underway, the Town expects the opportunity to acquire some of the existing school properties within the next 2-5 years. If acquired, we can physically shape the future of the Town in a significant way. However, we must prepare now to seize the opportunity when presented. The 2023 budget includes a 1% rate increase dedicated to funding the acquisition and development of the former school sites. This rate increase is the first step in a multi-year funding strategy.
Inflation
Statistics Canada is reporting a Consumer Price Index increase of 6.8% over the past 12 months. The Town is not immune to the general increase in the cost of goods and services, such as fuel, materials, utilities, service contracts and labour.
Proposed Increase
The proposed budget represents an annual increase of $90.79 for the average household in Kingsville. It is important to remember your property taxes are based on your assessed value, as provided by MPAC, which is often significantly less than the current market value. In Kingsville the average household is assessed at approximately $250,000.
“It is the Town’s objective to deliver its services in a responsible and cost-effective manner, not just for one year, but for many years to come,” said Director of Financial Services Ryan McLeod.
Deliberations
Council will meet on January 18 and 25, 2023, to deliberate the 2023 Draft Budget. These meetings will occur at the Kingsville Town Hall at 2021 Division Road North, Kingsville, Ontario N9Y 2Y9, as per the Municipal Act, 2001. If you have any questions or comments, email us at requests@kingsville.ca. If you would like to appear before Council as a delegation, please complete the Delegation Request form.