The cost of inflation, minimum wage increases and waste collection is being passed on to Niverville residents for the 2023 tax year.

Niverville council passed its 2023 budget on Tuesday night, which is based on a four percent increase to the average resident, three percent lower than the national average rate of inflation last year.

Homes worth $319,600 will see a roughly $78 increase to their tax bill to account for inflation while the waste collection levy is increasing to $140 per household from $125, the first increase since 2020, to recover increasing costs for the service.

To account for roughly $500,000 in wage increases for over 100 workers the town employs, Mayor Myron Dyck said the town had to consider what projects to include in the budget and what to forego for another year.

“There’s no new sidewalks going in this year, we’re going to repair what we have,” Dyck said.

Patching and crack filling of roads and sidewalks is all the town allocated in this year’s budget to account for two minimum wage increases, one which will bring the minimum hourly wage of $13.50 to $14.15 in April and again to $15.30 in October.

“There’s more money being paid on wages here, which is great, but that just means then we only have so much money to do other things with,” the mayor said.

During his budget presentation CAO Eric King revealed the town would not be moving forward with a sewer renewal and rebuilding of 4th Avenue South due to “high costs.”

The town allocated $1 million for the project, but a tendering process yielded bids out of their price range, the lowest coming in at $1.4 million. Dyck said the town will re-tender the project in the fall in hopes of getting a better deal.

“It might come back at $2.5 million (bid) but we don’t know, that’s the risk,” he said.

Capital projects for the town include improvements to Station Park and Opa’s Park, the addition of two crosswalks on 5th Avenue South and money for the fire hall to finish replacing turn-out gear, buy a new water tanker and save for a future hall expansion.

Other projects include a cemetery expansion and completing the CRRC with back up power to use as a shelter in the case of an emergency.

King said signals on Mulberry Avenue and Provincial Road 311 will be installed as early as late spring, while a detailed design of the 311 between Krahn Road and Wallace Road will be underway soon.