LaSalle council approves 2025 budget with nearly 6% tax increase
Some property owners can inspect an increase of $178.89 annually
Taxes are going up for homeowners in LaSalle, Ont., after the town council approved the 2025 municipal budget of $50 million.
The approval amounts to an increase of $178.89 annually for the average single-family home, a rate increase of 5.98 per cent. The figure is lower than the original projected increase of $209 that was contained in the draft budget.
When calculated into the overall tax rate, which includes County of Essex and education taxes, the average single-family home will see an increase of $232.76 annually or $19.40 monthly. That is a rate increase of about 4.81 per cent.
"It is never easy to prioritize one need over another," Mayor Crystal Meloche said in a media release. "I think that we have moved forward with a fiscally responsible budget that provides our residents with the services that they expect. Some difficult decisions have been made throughout this process."
The 2025 budget includes increases of $1 million for policing costs, $1.3 million for recommended enhancements and $1.8 million for inflationary changes including wages, benefits, insurance and garbage collection.
To reach the final tax rate, the council approved reductions of $85,000 to insurance, $50,000 for 2025 staffing changes, $30,000 for strategic plan initiatives, $200,000 for the Asset Management Plan, $50,000 for the Fire Master Plan and $50,000 for Information Technology.
"These reductions do mean that there will be less funding available for future projects as part of the Town's asset management, strategic initiatives, Fire Master Plan and information technology," said Dale Langlois, LaSalle's director of finance and treasurer.
"Administration does understand the need to balance our operations with the needs of the community. Any further cuts would affect our service levels."