Taxes to rise $330/year in Halton Hills

Halton Hill is the latest community set to jack up their taxes with their announcement of a 6.06 per cent hike in residents’ property taxes.

For an owner of an average two-storey house who paid $5,400 in taxes this year, this represents a $327 increase for next year or an extra $27 per month. This increase is also due to a 0.78 per cent rise in the good repair special levy and the creation of a new .25 per cent healthcare special levy.

Mayor Ann Lawlor said, “This was a very tough budget analysis for our Council. On the one hand, Town expenses out of our control have risen due to provincial downloading of planning responsibilities; high insurance rates and provincial removal of some municipal income sources and inflation, particularly for our road and infrastructure projects.”

She noted, “On the other hand, our residents expect and deserve a certain standard of service. A new item this year is a small healthcare levy which will contribute to future construction of a new hospital and other facilities.”

“The 6.06% overall property tax rate is a result of the Town’s budget levy increase, blended with the taxes paid to Halton Region (5.1 per cent projected) and the school boards (0 per cent),” the town wrote.

Chief Administration Officer Pat Mills concurred with Lawlor saying the town and municipalities across the province are struggling with inflation. “Adding to the complexity,” he said, “is the fact that we are in a time of low assessment growth while we prepare to commence the construction in the Vision Georgetown area.”