Average increases of 1.2% and 0.2% respectively
By Kevin Woodhouse
www.thesuburban.com
Dorval and Pointe Claire taxpayers will face only slight increases this year but will be below the inflation rates of 2.2%. For the average homeowner in Pointe Claire, increases are slated for a paltry 0.2% increase while Dorval citizens will pay about 1.2%.
Dorval’s budget for 2015 is $122,460,000, with an expected loss of $178,000 due to budget cuts from the government of Quebec’s austerity measures.
“The 2015 budget reflects the unavoidable increases in the cost of living, fuel and energy costs, the maintenance cost of municipal buildings and equipment, the collective agreements with our employees, the scope of municipal responsibilities, as well as our apportionment for proximity services offered by the Agglomeration,” explained Dorval spokesperson Sebastien Gauthier.
In Pointe Claire, spending was reduced by almost one percentage point, resulting in a 2015 budget of $130,121,900 over last year’s 131,066,100.
“We have achieved this result thanks to a major administrative reform, which helped us substantially reduce our operating costs,” noted Mayor Morris Trudeau via news release. “This reduction, combined with our debt repayment policy effective since 2013, has given us the ability to absorb a major loss of revenue imposed on us as part of the consolidation of Quebec’s public finances, while still providing the same quality and range of services.”
The city has set aside $20 million from the 2015 budget dedicated to improving infrastructure services like “sewers, water mains, streets and sidewalks up to standards, according to each infrastructure element’s degree of obsolescence”, noted the mayor. “In 20 or 30 years, all of our infrastructure will have been upgraded. This is sound management of our city, addressing the needs of current and future generations while preserving our citizens’ ability to pay.”
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