BARRHEAD - The County of Barrhead will have a balanced budget in 2025, but they will need to dip into their reserves for $10,000 to do it.
County councillors approved the final versions of the 2025 operating and capital budgets in separate motions during their April 15 meeting, with the operating budget being set at $21,124,510 and the capital budget at $9,543,169. The latter was revised from the interim capital budget of $6,408,757 council passed in December.
Roads and transportation infrastructure is the most significant expenditure in the operating budget at 44 per cent or roughly $9.74 million of the total budget, followed by the school, social housing and designated machinery requisitions at 16 per cent at about $3.41 million and utilities and waste management at 11 per cent or about $2.4 million, general administration at eight per cent or about $1.7 million, protective and enhanced policing services at seven per cent at about $3.82 million, planning and development and agricultural services at seven per cent or $1.53 million and recreation and cultural services at five per cent at about $987,000.
Rounding out the bottom operating expenditure budget categories are legislative service and elections at about $371,000 and Barrhead and District Social Housing Association (BDSHA) at $77,100.
County finance director Tamara Molzahn noted that the education, social housing and designated machinery requisitions are monies the municipality collects for other parties — the designated machinery and education requisitions for the province and social housing for the Barrhead and District Social Housing Association.
On the revenue side, Molzahn said the majority, or 52 per cent, of revenue for the operational budget comes from municipal property taxes at $10.97 million, with 16 per cent or about $3.349 million coming monies the county collects from ratepayers for the various requisitions. Another $1.5 million, or about seven per cent of the operational budget, comes from the debenture levy collected for the Barrhead Regional Aquatics Centreat $1.5 million, six percent or $1.214 million from other government transfers and $1.124 million being drawn from unrestricted capital reserves.
Another five per cent comes from $980,630 comes from user fees and the sale of goods, four per cent comes from the allocation of monies at about $835,000, and three per cent or $533,000, comes from returns on investments.
In comparison, one per cent comes from operational reserves at about $188,300 and $150,000 from penalties and costs on taxes.
Rounding out the bottom operational budget revenue categories are rental fee income at $85,800, fees collected from the aggregate level at $75,000 and local improvement levies at $21,885.
The province, under the Municipal Government Act (MGA), requires municipalities to remain in the black.
Property tax breakdown and assessment
County manager Debbie Oyarzun noted the municipality's assessment increased by roughly six per cent, with the total land value in the county breaking the one billion mark.
She added that the municipality has flirted with the $1 billion total assessment value before, but the county has remained above the mark for the last two years, "placing us firmly in the growth direction."
Residential properties account for most of the estimated $1.148 billion assessment at about $812.528 million, followed by linear and machinery and equipment assessment at $218.654 million, farmland at $61.164 million and non-residential at $55.229 million.
The result is that the municipality expects to generate $14.329 million in tax revenue, with about $10.970 million for municipal purposes, $3.349 million as a flow through to the province and the previously mentioned BDSHA.
Capital budget
Molzahn said that the capital budget increased by nearly $3.5 million from the proposed draft budget in December.
"There wasn't a lot of change on the expenditures budgets. On the enforcement side, it was only $500. For public works, it was $365,000, with a new portable steamer and trailer being one of the only new items, most of them being carryovers or previously approved by the council," she said.
Priority capital expenditures carried over from 2024 include a new welcome sign, Barrhead Regional Fire Services training facility enhancements, Engine 33 maintenance, and netting for the landfill. New projects include a new grader and bulldozer for public works, Manola pumphouse and reservoir upgrades, including the necessary engineering, a new two-tonne truck and spray system and a new pasture and quad tank sprayers and plastic mulch applicator for the Agricultural Services Board ag rental program.
Molzahan said the majority of the 2025 capital budget, at 84 per cent, will go to asset replacement for transportation services, at about $4 million, followed by protective services (fire and enforcement) at nine per cent at $441,450, with the majority being a new fire engine, and agricultural services at four per cent or about $175,000, utilities and waste management at two per cent or about $107,000.
She added that the municipality has also set aside more than $2.4 million for future capital reserves.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
