Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève budget: Mayor Côté's appeal heard
The mayor of the borough of Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève, Stephane Cote
The borough of L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève avoids the apprehended disaster. Described as worrying and alarming just a few weeks ago, the budgetary situation has gotten better. Mayor Stéphane Côté's call for help was heard by the City of Montreal's executive committee.
“Significant, transitional and recurring financial assistance has been granted to us to get us there in 2025, be the year of the implementation of the new financial reform of the boroughs”, he indicated during an extraordinary council on the subject of the 2023 budget held on Tuesday afternoon.
“For 2025, other sums will be added and will monetarily recognize our status as a humanized landscape and a plant area of more than 44.9%. This political choice was made as much by the borough as by the central city,” he specified.
A balanced budget
For 2023, the borough's operating budget is estimated at $13.1 million, compared to 11.9% in 2022. This is the first time in three years that the borough’s budget has been balanced. .
The local borough tax will increase by 17%. “For example, for a property valued at $548,000, the increase will be $67.16,” said the mayor of L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève. The local borough tax is equivalent to 5% of the total tax paid by the taxpayer.
It should be noted that for all the boroughs of Montreal, the local tax increase is 9%.
The budget for the 2023-2033 Ten-Year Capital Works Program (PDI) was also adopted by the Extraordinary Council. It totals $29.3 million over 10 years, for an average of $2.9 million per year.
An intense year
In an interview with Métro after the council meeting, Mr. Côté described the year 2022 as very intense. “We have succeeded in restoring the team spirit of the employees and restoring a climate of trust. And the most important thing is that we have managed to get out of the hole until 2025”, he spontaneously confided.
When asked how much money the central city would pay to balance the 2023 budget, the mayor was cautious. “Negotiations are still ongoing and the year 2022 is not over yet. What I can say is that the deficit is probably lower than expected,” he said.
Considering that Mayor Côté has been publicly expressing for weeks that the deficit would be much greater than $400,000, it is logical to believe that this amount is between $500,000 and $800,000.
Mayor Stéphane Côté also wanted to thank the president of the executive committee of the City of Montreal, Dominique Ollivier, and the Director General of the City of Montreal, Serge Lamontagne, for their attentiveness and their desire to understand the needs of the residents of L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève. “It is nice to see that it is possible to work in the common interest of citizens without politics taking over,” concluded the mayor.
