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A new Paisley fire hall and public works building is the big ticket item in Arran-Elderslie’s first draft of its 2025 capital budget which looks at what could be built, bought or repaired.
The fire hall is pegged at about $5 million to be paid for through reserves, government grants and possible fundraising.
Other items proposed in the draft capital budget include ice chillers for the Paisley and Chesley arenas, work on the Tara arena roof, repairing the Paisley Town Hall bell tower and the possible purchase of land to expand the Tara cemetery, road work and water & wastewater work.
In the operating budget, which is the spending plan to keep the municipality and its services and administration running as usual, there is one surprise this year.
The cost of OPP service is increasing significantly OPP in 2025, by about $217,000 which would be a 3.1 per cent increase in taxes. 2024 revenue from taxes was about $7 million.
Mayor Steve Hammell noted on Bayshore Broadcasting’s Open Line chow on 560 CFOS October 29th, “We really appreciate the policing we receive in Arran-Elderslie from the OPP and know that they need more help and their cars cost more and their, supplies cost more and we knew it was going to cost more, it was just a shock. We have not seen too many increases in the past couple of years so when all of a sudden this increase happened it was a big piece of news.”
He added, “We need the OPP, we need those hours, we need those officers, those constables that are doing the great work in our communities, but it was a shock.”
He noted, Arran-Elderslie is not the only community seeing an increase in the cost of service from the OPP in Bruce County or in Ontario.
Elsewhere in the operating budget, an overall inflation rate of 3 per cent is applied to all things. There are also three new proposed positions to consider including a facility attendant for the municipality and a project manager for the Paisley fire hall build.
A second draft budget will be presented to council. It’s expected to be on the November 25th agenda.