« We don’t waste money, » said Mayor Normand Riopel, during discussion of the 2023 draft budget during a special council session Thursday afternoon. « We invest it and we invest it in the community. »

Mayor Riopel referred to the $1.26 million needed for the policiing services contract with the OPP included in the proposed budget, and also the $2.9 million earmarked for road improvements and maintenance this year, and $677,000 going towards new equipment and other resources for the township’s fire departments.

This year’s total budget is $25.7 million, and includes an operations budget projected at about $15.6 million and a capital works budget of about $10 million. The municipal levy is about $7.6 million in property taxes that the township must collect.

The proposed budget, if it remains unchanged when it comes back to council later in the season for final review and approval, will mean a 4.5-per-cent increase in the amount of taxes the municipality collects to pay for all program and capital works expenses not covered by senior government grants or other revenue sources.

For the average homeowner, with a house and land valued at $225,883, the new budget will mean an increase of $65.15 in the municipal portion of the property tax bill. The total property tax bill includes both the municipal tax and the property taxes that the township has to collect for the local school boards, the United Counties of Prescott-Russell, and the provincial government and other agencies.