Lachute’s 2012 budget forecast reveals lowest tax increase in Argenteuil

Taxes across the region have been increasing steadily over the last five years and 2012 will be no exception.

In Lachute, the city is preparing for what Mayor Daniel Mayer described during the December 12 council meeting as a "moderate 4.2-per-cent average increase" in taxes.

He said it will help offset higher wages, cost-of-living increases and a $261,000 increase in the Rénovation Quebec program, which together represent an additional $837,900 within a total annual budget of $20.9 million.

Broken down by district, this means that residents in urban areas will see a 2.7-per-cent increase, semi-urban 4.5-per-cent, rural areas 3.7-per-cent and Saint-Jerusalem 6.8-per-cent.

In dollars and cents, this means that an average home evaluated at $166,881 and located in the urban sector would have been taxed $1,822 in 2011 and $1,873 in 2012.

If that same home were located in a semi-urban location it would be taxed $1,455 in 2011 and $1,516 in 2012. A rural setting would cost $1,213 in 2011 and $1,257 in 2012, while that home in the Saint-Jerusalem district would cost $1,045 in 2011 and $1,113 in 2012.

In comparison to the other eight municipalities of Argenteuil, Lachute taxes are significantly lower in all districts. Over the past five years, taxes in Lachute have increased by only 8.4 per cent, marking it as one of the lowest increases in the province.

Comparably, officials in Lachute said taxes in Brownsburg-Chatham have increased by 43 per cent; Gore by 54.6 per cent; Saint-André d'Argenteuil by 52.4 per cent and Grenville-sur-la-Rouge by 97.1 per cent.

"The biggest gift we can give our citizens is to offer them a reasonable budget for 2012 and an improvement of services that will benefit them," said Mayer.

He noted the new year will bring with it a number of major investments for Lachute, including an investment of $140,000 for new communications equipment for the fire department and $7,000 for 10 respiratory devices.

The public works department is expected to invest $95,000 for a mini-excavator, $100,000 to acquire a piece of property adjacent to the municipal garage, $181,000 for a sidewalk snowplow and $260,000 for a new snowplow. A new road in the industrial section of Lachute, near the airport, is expected to cost the city $500,000.

Within the culture and recreation budget, notable expenses include $738,000 to enlarge the library and potentially complete the purchase of the Lachute United Church to replace it. Mayer said studies of the church are nearing completion and the city is waiting for an answer from Brownsburg-Chatham on whether or not it intends to pursue a partnership with Lachute to share the new library.

Hockey enthusiasts will be happy to hear the city will be building a $500,000 outdoor skating rink in Ayers Park, complete with an asphalt surface and a roof to protect the ice from inclement weather. This investment is expected to be subsidized by a $300,000 grant from the provincial Pacte Rurale program. A $60,000 skate park will also be constructed at the Ayers Park.

A complete version of the 2012 Lachute budget forecast is available at the City of Lachute.