Sidewalk repairs among budget cuts
by Blake Wolfe/The Scugog Standard

Although not the full 50 per cent reduction Scugog councillors were hoping for, an updated version of the township’s 2012 budget now features a proposed tax increase of 4.24 per cent, down substantially from the 7.82 per cent jump proposed last month.
mThe most recent draft of the budget was presented to councillors this past Monday (Dec. 12), alongside staff reports detailing the various preliminary requests from each department.
m“There is a significant decrease and change in the amount of money that staff originally requested,” said Ward 5 Councillor and Corporate Services committee chair Howard Danson. “And this isn’t the final document - just another phase along the way.”

Changes since the budget was first presented on Nov. 21, include:
- the removal of a paved road shoulder program for cyclists ($43,000)
- the use of community enhancement fund (CEF) dollars for road maintenance ($57,000) and capital maintenance at community halls ($24,000)
- cuts to sidewalk repairs ($25,000), new software programs for the township ($15,000), post-employment benefits ($25,000) and ceiling tile replacement for the Blackstock Recreation Centre ($40,000)
- the use of $50,575 from the sale of municipally-owned properties to assist in repaying the township’s hydro reserve fund, following the $1.1 million purchase of the ‘Old Mill’ property in 2009.

mThat last item, said township treasurer Trena DeBruijn, would be repaid by the township to itself over a 25-year period.
mSome reallocation of budget dollars also took place in the latest draft of the document, including the $20,000 replacement of the township’s internal telephone system.
mThe latest version of the budget also anticipates Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) money in an amount similar to last year’s injection of approximately $1.3 million into Scugog coffers. While staff expect to receive close to the same amount for 2012, the announcement has not yet been made (the 2011 installment was announced on Dec. 16, 2010, said CAO Bev Hendry). nd Ms. DeBruijn cautioned that if the provincial contribution is substantially less than expected, the budget process will have to begin again from scratch.
mAn open house on the 2012 budget is scheduled for Jan. 12, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., in council chambers. Final budget approval by council is slated to take place on Jan. 23.