By Sue Tiffin, Minden Times, March 29, 2022

Councillors passed the township’s 2022 budget last week. The budget includes $14.6 million in total expenditures, $5.9 million which will come from property taxation. This represents a levy increase of 4.16 per cent over last year, for a 2.33 per cent increase in the municipal tax rate. This equates to an estimated overall increase of $14.94 for every $100,000 of assessment for residential properties.

“Changes approved in final deliberations resulted in an overall decrease in reserves of 31.5 per cent, but remaining funds should be considered a reasonable reserve balance for a municipality of this size,” said Jean Hughes, treasurer, in her report to council on March 17. “It was noted that the township is facing significant infrastructure needs going forward, and continued use of reserves without replenishing must be considered.”

Some budget highlights include the Dorset Recreation Centre’s mould remediation project, the continued reconfiguration of Maple Lake’s landfill, and improvements planned for the Stanhope Airport.

The final budget summary is available to view at algonquinhighlands.civicweb.net