Thanks to “sound financial management” as well as to the government assistance granted to offset the impact of COVID-19, the City of Brossard on Tuesday confirmed its tax freeze for 2021, in a budget increased by 2.9% compared to the previous year.
“I am very proud that the budget includes a tax freeze without compromising the improvement of services and infrastructure,” said Mayor Doreen Assaad, during the budget presentation.
For the mayoress, this is a measure that will provide a little respite for families as well as businesses and businesses in Brossard, which have been hit hard this year.
The financial assistance of $ 8.1 million granted by the government of Quebec, spread over the 2020 and 2021 budgets, thus covers the losses recorded by the City, due among other things to the drop in investment income, the drop in fines, increased spending on emergency measures to maintain services to the population, and the establishment of countryside Found in Brossard to encourage local purchasing.
Could Brossard have granted a tax freeze to its citizens without this help from Quebec?
“We are speculating, but I believe so,” said the mayor. Brossard still recorded surpluses of $ 11 million this year. But it would have been much more difficult. ”
Remember that last year, Brossard residents’ tax bill increased by 2.4%.
A gel for everyone, or almost
For an average single-family home valued at $ 402,550, the tax bill will rise to $ 3,036 in 2021, while that of an average condo valued at $ 241,173 will reach $ 2,032.
Tax rates will remain the same in 2021 for single-family homes, all multi-unit buildings, non-residential buildings, industries and agricultural land.
“For us, it was important to freeze taxes for all aspects, to respect the ability to pay of all Brossard residents,” explained Doreen Assaad. The commercial sector needed this tax freeze as much as the residential sector. ”
The only exception is serviced vacant lots, which will see their tax rate increase by 31.7% next year.
“We realized that there was a very big gap between Brossard and the other cities in this regard, and we regularized the situation,” said the mayor.
Director General Pierre Archambault added that this change affected less than 0.5% of the entire budget.
The price for water will increase by 2.4% in 2021.
Quota Bond
The $ 5.3M increase in spending for 2021 is largely due to the 6.7% increase in the share that Brossard pays to the Agglomeration of Longueuil, which totals $ 87.7 million for 2021.
“We didn’t expect the increase to be that high,” said Doreen Assaad. It’s unheard of in 5 years! It was quite a challenge to absorb that increase. ”
The costs related to the opening of the aquatic complex, the addition of 12,000 doors for the collection of organics, maintenance and debt service complete the 2.9% increase in spending for 2021.
The equivalent increase in income, which will amount to $ 187.5 million in 2021, is explained by the property income generated by real estate development and sectoral taxation; transfer rights; anticipated revenues from the new aquatic complex; and grants related to the cracked house program.
More services and infrastructure
Brossard is delighted to have been able to stay the course on improving services to citizens and improving its infrastructure in 2020, despite the pandemic. It particularly highlights the finalization of the skate park and the opening of the aquatic complex.
Significant traffic improvements were also made in 2020, including the commissioning of the Quartier viaduct; the end of the Grande-Allée widening work; and the addition of an access ramp for Highway 10.
The budget in figures
- Share paid to the Agglomeration and the Montreal Metropolitan Community – $ 89.9 million
- Debt service and financial expenses – $ 21.9 million
- Leisure, culture and community life – $ 16.8 million
- Transportation and road network – $ 15.4 million
- General administration – $ 14.1 million
- Benefits – $ 8.6M
- Environmental health – $ 5.7M
- Planning, town planning and development – $ 5.2 million
- Library – $ 3.7 M
- Contingency allowance – $ 2 million
- Cracked houses – $ 1.7 M
- Aquatic complex – $ 648,000
- Public Security – $ 624,000
- Investing activities – $ 562,000
- Election – $ 540,000
- Addition of 12,000 doors for the organic waste collection – $ 498,000
- COVID emergency measures – $ 275,000
- Buy local campaign – $ 250,000
- Change of delivery location for green waste – $ 133,000
A collaboration budget
During the council meeting held on Tuesday evening, the councilor and president of the finance committee Julie Bénard insisted that the discussions on the budget were held this year in a new dynamic of collaboration in Brossard.
Indeed, as a result of the mayor’s decision to dissolve her caucus a few months ago, councilors Julie Bénard, Claudio Benedetti, Sylvie DesGroseilliers, Monique Gagné, Michel Gervais and Pierre Jetté dissociated themselves from the mayor.
Ms. Bénard thus said she was proud to present a budget “which finally puts forward the glaring needs expressed by Brossard residents, mainly residents of the first established neighborhoods, who have long had the impression that in the face of expansion and new developments in the City, they were forgotten ”.
“Finally, we have a fair budget for each neighborhood; there, I have the impression that the A’s are part of Brossard, ”added councilor Monique Gagné.
Councilor Christian Gaudette, in solidarity with the mayor, for his part wished to recall “that the budget is not the business of six councilors; the budget is the business of ten advisers, the collaboration of the entire finance department and senior management. It is together, everyone, that we have succeeded in delivering a balanced budget. ”
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