Scugog reviews 2025 budget survey results

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard

SCUGOG: With an eye towards upcoming deliberations, councillors recently reviewed the findings from the 2025 Budget Survey, which was open to residents, businesses, and stakeholders from July 1st to August 15th, 2024.

At their meeting on the afternoon of Monday, September 9th, councillors reviewed the results of the survey, which was hosted on the Township’s interactive platform MyScugog.ca, and garnered 151 responses. The data gathered offers insight into the community’s views on service delivery, budget priorities, and the Township’s financial planning.

The survey served as a critical tool to collect feedback on the services provided by the Township. Out of the respondents, the largest age group was those aged 65 and over (36%), followed by those aged 45 to 64 (30%).

In terms of relationship with the Township, the majority (95%) identified as residents, while only 2% were business owners. Additionally, 65% of participants felt they were somewhat familiar with how the Township develops its annual budget.

When asked how they would prefer to be informed about the Township’s annual budget, the top choices were email communications, the Township’s website, and social media, with 56%, 52%, and 46% of respondents selecting these options, respectively.

To address the challenge of balancing the budget, respondents were asked to weigh in on several options. The most popular choice was to increase user fees for services that currently have fees (41%). Reducing the level of Township services (34%) and increasing property taxes (13%) were less favored.

Respondents were divided on their overall satisfaction with the value of services provided by the Township. Only 28% indicated satisfaction, while 43% were unsatisfied. When asked about improvements in service delivery over the past year, 27% were satisfied, while 39% expressed dissatisfaction.

The survey also asked which service areas should see more or less tax dollar investment. Top priorities for increased funding included asset renewal, roadway maintenance, and the natural environment. On the other hand, continuous enhancements to digital services, economic development, and the library were seen as areas where fewer tax dollars could be spent.

Regarding special levies, 60% of respondents supported maintaining the current rate. Another 26% were in favour of increasing them, which could reduce the Township's infrastructure deficit sooner.

The results from this survey will be taken into consideration as staff prepare the draft 2025 operating and capital budgets. The Township plans to continue encouraging public participation to ensure future budget discussions reflect the community's needs.