Lachine Borough adopts 2010 budget

During a special meeting held on November 19 in an empty hall, Lachine Borough adopted its 2010 budget and its programme triennal d'immobilisations – PTI (triennial infrastructure programme) for years 2010, 2011 and 2012.

The operating budget of Lachine Borough for fiscal year 2010 is $32,880,200. An important part of the budget is also reserved for snow clearing operations and for household garbage collection services. Maintained at the same cost for three years, the fees for household waste collection will now go from $30.00 to $60.00 per dwelling, while the water tax will go down from $96 to $79 per dwelling.

Because of the increasingly complex operations for snow removal and the quantity of snow that needs to be cleared, costs have gone up by 55%. In line with rigorous policy, the first objective is to preserve the quality of services. In order to do this and after analysing several scenarios, the Borough has decided to impose a new local tax of $0.0194 for every $100.00 of property evaluation. As an example, the tax will be $48.50 for a property assessed at $250,000.00. These additional revenues will allow the Borough to achieve its goals and to balance its budget.

The 2010, 2011 and 2012 infrastructure programme is intended to carry out several projects that have been initiated to-date, particularly the upgrading of municipal infrastructure and the road network as well as the expansion of the Saul Bellow municipal library. The maintenance of buildings, equipment, vehicles, machinery and tools belonging to the Borough will take up a large amount in next year’s expenses.