RM of Macdonald reduces mill rate

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This article was published 01/05/2017 (3175 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thanks to its growing population and tax base, the RM of Macdonald was able to slightly decrease the mill rate in its 2017 financial plan.

The mill rate drops to 7.8 from 7.99 in 2016, bringing a municipal tax reduction for many property owners.

“The increased assessment has allowed us to manage our mill rate,” reeve Brad Erb said.
Statistics Canada’s 2016 census reported a population of 7,162 for the RM of Macdonald, making it the eighth most populated rural municipality in Manitoba. However, Macdonald is the province’s fourth-largest in terms of assessment. The previous census published in 2011 showed a population of 6,280.

Erb said the decrease in mill rate also reflects the small 1.1 per cent rise in operating expenses. The 2017 budget is approximately $11.9 million compared to $10.3 million in 2016. A transfer of $1.2 million from reserves is helping council to keep the mill rate down.

Macdonald residents live within the Pembina Trails, Prairie Rose, Red River Valley and Seine River School Divisions, each of which are levying different rates for 2017 education taxes. A comparison shows that the owner of a home within the RRVSD and assessed at $200,000 will see a $16 drop in municipal taxes and a $99 increase in school tax for an overall total of $1,969 compared to $1,886 in 2016.

A homeowner in the SRSD will see the same decrease in municipal tax and a smaller increase in school tax for a total bill of $1,304 compared to $1,283 in 2016.

The owner of 160 acres of farmland located within the RRVSD and assessed at $504,000 will see only a $5 increase in overall tax compared to 2016, with a farm property owner in the SRSD receiving a tax bill of $1,402 or $13 lower than in 2016.

Erb said more gravel will be spread on municipal roads this year, and the cost of buying gravel has increased.

“The one significant increase is in our gravel budget. It’s 20 per cent higher,” Erb said. The total expense for 2017 is budgeted at just over $1 million.

Half of the $1.3 million cost for the planned realignment of McCreary Road at McGillivray Boulevard is being 50 per cent funded by the provincial government. Erb said he hopes that work will begin later this year to straighten the junction’s angle for safety purposes and pave the section of McCreary Road that lies within the municipality.

Federal funding through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program will allow the municipality to further extend its community pathways, Erb said.

Other major projects and purchases for 2017 include replacing the membrane in the Sanford water treatment plant, bulk water fill station improvements, pumper/tanker fire truck apparatus and fire hall and equipment upgrades. Plans for expanding the municipal office in Sanford are being considered, Erb said.

The financial plan was presented at a public meeting on April 28, followed by a council vote on acceptance.

The Macdonald 2017 financial plan presentation is available under Government/Downloads and Documents at www.rmofmacdonald.com

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