Saugeen Shores Council has approved the Town’s 2024 Business Plan and Budget, along with a long-term asset management program designed to ensure the Town’s infrastructure is properly funded, maintained, and replaced, as needed.
Council heard from senior management over two lengthy day-long sessions to arrive at the business plan and budget. During the deliberations, management was asked to adjust expenditures to reflect the community’s future needs.
The overarching themes of the 2024 plan include:
- Incorporating comprehensive asset management into the Town’s long-term fiscal planning.
- Using evidence-based forecasting to better manage finances and assets, protecting the organization from economic uncertainty and preparing the municipality for growth.
- Balancing resident needs with costs to ease economic pressures while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
The 2024 budget proposes an increase to the tax levy that would bring the blended rate (Municipal/County/Education) to 4.99%, limiting the increase to $17.25/month for the median-assessed Saugeen Shores household. This increase will fund resources to maintain service levels for operations as well as keep the Town in a healthy financial position. A BMA Management study shows Saugeen Shores’s residential tax rate is in the low-to-medium range for similar-sized municipalities in Ontario.
“This plan, for both operations and capital assets, is a comprehensive roadmap for where we are and where we want to get to as a community,” said Mayor Luke Charbonneau. “Affordable housing, natural environment and quality of life are all addressed with the taxpayer in mind. I am confident we are well on our way to securing the long-term future for Saugeen Shores.”
Highlights of the 2024 Business Plan:
- Aquatic & Wellness Centre: Full start to the facility’s construction, along with activation & transition planning to successfully open the centre in 2025.
- Water and Wastewater System Investment: Multiple projects to upgrade and expand the Town’s infrastructure to prepare for future growth.
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Affordable Housing: Maintaining financial support for those who need housing assistance while implementing policies to bring affordable housing projects to market faster.
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Environmental Priorities: Suite of projects across departments and divisions to preserve and protect the Town’s Natural Heritage, including developing the Tree Canopy Plan, building on the success of the FoodCycler pilot program, as well as Master Planning for three major community parks.
- Community Planning: Several initiatives to capture and retain the community’s character, including a new design for Southampton’s High Street and a Cultural Heritage Master Plan.
- Economic Planning: Working with our community partners on a Destination Development Plan, as well as $50K for the Saugeen Sparks Training Centre.
- Quality of Life: Making menstrual products available for free at the Plex, the Coliseum and the Centennial Pool.
For the first time, the Town is basing its budget on a 10-year Asset Management Plan (AMP). This Provincial legislatively required document details core assets (e.g. roads, bridges, water & wastewater, etc.), which will allow the Town to forecast those assets’ lifecycle more accurately, along with their costs. The Business Plan also includes a Future Infrastructure Special Levy to support the Town’s 10-Year Capital Plan. This levy represents a $4.08/month increase for the average Saugeen Shores household.
Council will now pass the necessary By-laws to implement the 2024 Business Plan and Budget on January 8, 2024.
You can read the proposed 2024 Budget and Business Plan HERE.
