The Municipality of Mississippi Mills Council passed the 2024 Budget on December 14, after deliberations over five meetings, and following public input from nearly 170 residents.
There are four components to the tax bill that the Municipality levies on residents – Municipal (43%), Police (7%), County (34%), and School (16%).
The total municipal tax rate plus the policing levy is $13,573,581 which is a 3.4% overall increase to the combined levy over 2023. The municipal and policing levy is the main revenue source that the Municipality uses to provide services and infrastructure. Based on the average assessment for a home in Mississippi Mills of $338,000, a household would see a monthly increase of approximately $5.40, which represents a yearly increase of $64.83.
“Council is very sensitive to the financial pressures many of our residents are facing,” said Mississippi Mills Mayor Christa Lowry. “The focus of the 2024 Budget reflects Council’s strategic priorities that include investing in community safety and municipal infrastructure, while planning for future growth.”
“Mississippi Mills lost a further 15% in provincial infrastructure funding for 2024 which in conjunction with increased insurance, inflation and interest rates were challenges in the budget process and will continue to be for Council in the future,” Mayor Lowry added.
Some key projects for 2024 include:
- $1.05M in fire equipment including a new front run pump truck
- $3.41M investment in roads, sidewalks, and hardtopping
- $1.08M for bridges and culverts
- $7.37M investment in water and sewer infrastructure *
- $345K related to parks and recreation facilities including refrigeration and chillers at John Levi Community Centre and curling rink
“Much needed investments will be made in culvert, stormwater and sanitary sewer upgrades for Mercer and Marshall Street,” noted Mayor Lowry. “We will also see the renewal of Concession 9 Bridge in Pakenham in 2024, pedestrian crossing addition to the Blakeney Bridge in conjunction with Lanark County’s rebuild, and a new fire truck for the Mississippi Mills Fire Department.” The overall municipal budget is $41,968,054 – $25,373,286 for Operations and $16,594,768 for Capital.
“I commend Council and staff for their efforts to approve the budget before we turn the calendar to 2024, which puts the Municipality in a strong position when putting out tenders for major projects,” Mayor Lowry concluded.
Please watch for a final budget summary in the New Year, with further details.
*Note: Provincial legislation dictates that water and sewer work must be paid by user fees and not the tax levy. Although water and sewer infrastructures are included in the overall budget, they are funded through water/sewer bills by users of these services.
