Essa homeowners face tax levy increase
By Richard Blanchard

Essa council has passed its 2008 budget with one of the largest percentage increases in recent years.

Council voted four to one to pass the budget. Deputy mayor Terry Dowdall was the only member of council to vote against the increase.

Township mayor Dave Guergis admitted that the increasewas higher than the township's increases in the recent past.

"Much of the increase is due to our decision to approve the hiring of additional OPP officers which we previously agreed to; but I think that we can be back on track next year in terms of a smaller increase," said the mayor.

Guergis added the township was spending more money than normal on replacing the 5th Line bridge near Nicolston among other roads projects.

Thornton area councillor Rick Newlove added that he felt that preparing a budget this year was more difficult than usual.

"It was a tough year. We started off with an increase of six to seven per cent due to our increase in policing costs, but I think that we tried to be fair in preparing the budget," he said.

Newlove said that size of the proposed increase contributed to his decision not to support proceeding with the construction of a new library building in Angus this year.

"I couldn't support a major capital project like that this year," he said.

Deputy mayor Terry Dowdall said that he would have preferred a budget increase which would have had an increase of between two and three per cent.

"I have always supported tax increases in line with the actual increase in the cost of living," he said.

Overall, the township will be levying $355,948 this year.

This does not include the costs of waste management which will be a separate charge of $153 per unit.

The increase will see a house worth $200,000, which paid taxes of $1,697.13 in 2007, forking over an additional $77.28 this year.

The township also experienced asssessment growth of three per cent between 2007 and 2008.