By Kim Hutchison
Staff Reporter:
The 2009 Town of Ponoka interim operating and capital budget was passed at town hall on Dec. 9. It has been the Town’s practice to approve an interim budget prior to Jan. 1 then to approve the final budget prior to levying property taxes, which has been in May of each year. This authorizes the expenditures immediately after Jan. 1 and provides authority for administration to proceed with planned expenditures.
The operating budget for 2009, which is an estimate of the town’s annual financial needs to run the town by providing programs and services to residents of Ponoka, is $12.704 million and the town’s total assessment is estimated to increase from $670 million to $695 million representing $15 million in new assessment and $10 million in market increases. The town has increased property taxes by seven per cent for $247,000 to cover inflation and operational growth increases. Over 75 per cent of the increase is dedicated to the cost of living adjustment due to inflation.
Based on the average assessment value of $308,500, a taxpayer will pay $120 more in 2009 than in 2008; however, our tax rate remains one of the lowest within population size ranging from 5,4000 to 8,3000 throughout the province. The 2007 per capital rate was the lowest out of 19 comparable communities. The 2009 per capita tax rate is $595 per capita compared to a 2007 range of $1,101 to $484.
The operating budget includes a number of new initiatives. Some of these initiatives include the development of an off-leash dog park, a tree-planting program, investigation into developing a community garden, applying for a Municipal Internship position through Municipal Affairs, a Town of Ponoka parade float, Communities in Bloom and work on the extension of trails through a partnership with Alberta Trail Net and Canada Trails.
The capital budget is $12.081 million and some of the projects include asphalt overlay for the airport runway, road, water and sewer rehabilitation, lagoon expansion, equipment purchases, visitor information booth construction, road and railway crossing on 57th Street, geographic information system (GIS) development, and various local improvements.
The proposed municipal mill rate levy for Ponoka is 5.31 for residential and 7.06 for non-residential.
For more information visit the Town’s website, www.ponoka.org