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Property taxes to rise $14.14 per $100K of assessment by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff 9 | Thursday, December 17, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Oakville homeowners will pay $14.14 per $100,000 of assessment in Town of Oakville taxes next year. The hike would see a home assessed at $400,000 pay an extra $56.56 in taxes in 2016. On Monday, Oakville Town council unanimously approved a 2.4 per cent increase to the Town's portion of the overall property tax bill. When combined with a proposed 1.9 per cent increase in Halton Region taxes and no increase in education tax rates, the overall property tax hike works out to 1.66 per cent. "We set an overall tax increase in line with inflation as a guideline for our staff and I'm proud to say we've done this yet again," said Tom Adams, Ward 6 Town/Regional councillor and budget committee chair. "This is lower than the latest Bank of Canada core inflation index and just above the latest Consumer Price Index for the Toronto area of 1.3 per cent," he said just ahead of council's vote. "The forecast for the remainder of Ward 6 Councillor Tom Adams 2016 continues to be in the two per cent range and going into 2017, we also expect to see a two per cent rate of inflation." Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said council kept its promise of keeping the tax increase in line with inflation, while providing the programs, services and infrastructure support expected by the community. "Oakville has become one of the best municipalities at keeping its tax increase low," he said. The $371-million-approved operating and capital budget provides for a wide range of programs and services, including: winter road maintenance, parks and trails, harbours, transit, emergency services, recreation and culture, senior services, libraries, and to keep the town's roads and community facilities in a state of good repair. Some program enhancements, include: funding the first year of a multi-year transit service plan; the introduction of the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system in town libraries; and, increased resources to meet recreational program demands. An additional $3,600 for the Oakville Arts Council grant funding and $3,600 for Sports Oakville grant funding for local groups was included in the approved budget after the Town received feedback from the community at public meetings, said Adams. While council-related costs have been cut by $83,900, the Town's Let's Talk publication will continue to be published twice a year. The Capital Budget and 2016-25 Capital Budget and Forecast sees $99.4 million of funding in 2016 and just more than $1 billion for capital requirements over the next decade with a focus on transportation, infrastructure renewal and other Oakville Mayor Rob Burton elements related to growth. Nearly half of the Oakville portion of the increase is related to infrastructure maintenance and repair. Some of the major projects for the 2016 capital budget include: · $7.8 million for the road resurfacing and preservation program; · $7.3 million for widening Cornwall Road, from Chartwell Road to Morrison Road; · $4.2 million for the demolition of the Reynolds Street (legacy) Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH); · $3.7 million for the Emerald Ash Borer Management Program; · $3 million for Bridge Road improvements, from Warminster Drive to Fourth Line; · $2 million for Sixteen Mile Creek West Shore Landscape Rehabilitation; · $2 million for the widening of Speers Road, from the Bronte GO Station, west of Third Line to Fourth Line. Adams said the Town is keeping its house in order through council discipline and using a one per cent capital levy and additional funds that council has approved over a number of years to deal with annual paving. "We now have a high-quality set of infrastructure I think we can all be proud of and we can afford to maintain," he said. Adams touted Oakville's overall fiscal health, citing it's the highest when compared to other municipalities in the area, according to Is Your City Healthy? Measuring Urban Fiscal Health by Enid Slack and André Côté of the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance. For more details on the 2016 budget visit oakville.ca. Don't just think about retirement. Plan for it. 905.338.5721 ce Auto Servi Auto Body ruS A uSed 0c d 0 An p From $2,0 www.jnbautocenter.com · Scheduled Maintenance · Fuel Injection · Computer Diagnostics · Transmission & Clutches Accredited Test · Front & Rear End Work & Repair Facility · Electrical · Windshield Repair/Replacement · Shocks & Struts QEW · Air-Conditioning · Brakes Wyecroft · Tune-Ups JNB · Engines · Tires · Wheel Alignments · Oil & Fluid Changes Weller Ct. Insurance Claims Collision Repair Auto Body & Paint Happy Holidays Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner Dorval Dr. el spero Family Restaurant! 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