City budget moving to council with 4.61 per cent levy increase

In tackling her role as budget chief, Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield knew going in there would be difficult decisions to make when it came to the combined City of North Bay 2023 operating and capital budget, especially as the process opened with a proposed 5.77 per cent levy increase.

See related: 'Core mandates' above granting financial support requests

As Horsfield said in reference to the council having to turn down several requests for funding from local organizations, "We have very little room on the operating side of the city’s budget to adjust without considering service level reductions or dipping further into the reserves."

See also: Levy increase at 5.5 per cent; finance staff to present options

After several marathon sessions, the majority of the council did just that and opted to follow a staff proposal to use an additional $890,000 in reserves toward the levy.

The end result is a 2023 budget that includes gross operating expenses of approximately $153.2 million and an overall tax levy of approximately $105.7 million, an overall increase of $4.6 million or 4.61 per cent over the 2022 levy of $101.1 million. 

In 2022, the levy increased by 4.27 per cent over 2021.

The annual tax bill for individual properties is dependent on assessed value and the tax rate, which will be set by council at a future date. Using the estimated tax rate after growth provided by the finance department, the estimated taxpayer impact is a 3.23 per cent increase in tax bills. The forecasted change per $100,000 in the assessment of your home is $47.35 for 2023. So, if your home is assessed at $300,000, your tax bill will go up three times $47.35 (per $100K of assessment) for an increase of $142.05.

A show of hands saw Councillors Sara Inch, Mark King and Tanya Vrebosch vote against the budget while Coun. Gary Gardiner seemed to abstain. With or without Gardiner's vote, the budget is moving forward for final approval during a regular meeting of council.

For draft copies, reports, and documents pertaining to the combined 2023 operating and capital budget, click here. For more on the 2023 water and wastewater operating budget that has already been passed by council, click here.