Scugog approves the majority of their 2023 capital budget

DAN CEARNS, The Standard

SCUGOG: Scugog council approved most of their 2023 capital budget, at a recent meeting. However, one project in the budget was extracted for further conversation in March.

At their meeting, on January 30th, councillors saw a report which recommended the capital budget be approved “in the amount of $11,924,000.”

Some of the projects in the budget include: a $100,000 Service Level Review, $150,000 for the creation of a new Township website, $2.5 million for work on the South Link of the Second Access to Scugog Island project and $75,000 for a playground replacement at Roy E. Carter Park in Blackstock.

However, what garnered the most discussion around the council table was a Fees and Charges study, budgeted at $55,000.

A report, in the proposed budget, explained what this project would entail.

“This study would establish the full cost of providing services in the Township of Scugog and calculate appropriate fee rates for recovering those costs. The review will focus on fees imposed under the Planning Act, the Building Code Act and the Municipal Act. A high-level review of municipal leading practices, with respect to some of the fees considered, will also be included in this study.”

Ward 1 Councillor, David LeRoy, wanted to have the project removed from this year’s budget. “I’m interested in not spending money unnecessarily. I would argue, the Township should understand what it costs to provide a service, so I’m not sure why we would hire a consultant to tell us that,” he explained.

After much discussion, Ward 4 Councillor, Harold Wright, asked for this project to be separated from the budget and for a conversation on it to be tabled, until March 6th. “I would appreciate more time to look at it if that’s possible,” he said.

On another budget topic, Regional Councillor, Ian McDougall, questioned if Township staff know what this year’s tax increase could be, ahead of Operating budget discussions.

“I am still working on it. I’m in the process of preparing a report. It’s almost ready,” treasurer Laura Barta responded. “We have some significant numbers [still] to crunch.”