From The Portage Daily Graphic

Although some ratepayers voiced their concerns against the plan, the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie council went ahead and passed its budget for 2009.

The public hearing was held in the auditorium of Trinity United Church in Portage on April 21 to accommodate the estimated 45 area residents in attendance.

Council voted 7-1 to accept the $16.8-million (updated figure) budget.

Following the hearing, ratepayer Dwayne Leslie said he was opposed to the plan.

“I have a lot of concerns about where the money is going and the way they (council) have gone about it, and the lack of answers to many of the questions regarding the funding for the PCU Centre,” he said.

Ratepayer Robert Murray spoke up against the RM’s 2009 financial plan.

“We are opposed to the financial plan because it puts an undue burden on the farm community,” he said, following the hearing.

“This budget here takes all of our gas tax revenue for the next 15 years — puts 97 per cent towards recreation; three per cent to an expanded lagoon system in Oakville, and not one thin dime for agriculture,” said Murray.

One ratepayer who voiced his support for the financial plan was Doug Connery, who noted he can appreciate the RM’s efforts to balance its budget and was happy with a zero increase in taxes also.

“They (RM) have been able to keep a balanced budget and still be able to do the rec complex at the same time …,” he said. “They basically are doing what they have said over the last 2 1/2 years what they would be doing. I am commending them for doing that.”

The RM’s total anticipated expenditures are $16.8 million for 2009, compared to roughly $16 million in 2008. Of that, roughly $8 million is reserved for education, with the remaining amount available for the RM to use for municipal purposes.

Total increase to expenditures for 2009 is $593,081, however $383,185 of the increase will be covered by the annual gas tax funding the RM will receive in 2009.

The municipal mill rate for the RM will be the same in 2009 as it was in 2008, at 21.08 mills.

For property assessed at $100,000, residential property owners will pay $948; farmland owners would be charged $548; and commercial property owners would pay $1,370.

In the 7-1 vote to accept the budget, only Coun. Arnold Verwey of Ward 5 was opposed.

“I had comments from my ratepayers over the weekend,” he said, following the 1 1/2 hour meeting. “You have to listen to the ratepayers. They are the ones who voted me in. That is why I voted against it.”

The main issue of concern for those who expressed opposition to the budget was the RM’s financing of the PCU Centre project.

One ratepayer in the public hearing questioned how the RM will find the money for its share of the PCU Centre if a borrowing bylaw for up to $6.2 million to cover its $8-million commitment to the new PCU Centre project that is awaiting approval from the Manitoba Municipal Board is declined.

During the meeting, Reeve Toby Trimble said he is hopeful the borrowing bylaw will be approved and noted the previous local improvement plan, which allowed the RM to borrow up to $8 million for its share of the $35.7-million project, was struck down by the Court of Queen’s Bench in December, not for the amount of money to be borrowed, but, instead, the process taken to approve the previous plan.

On the matter of ensuring it is meeting the needs of agriculture, Trimble said the RM 2009 budget has taken into account costs for drainage and road improvement, as part of its transportation costs of $3.2 million, which is a major expenditure for the RM.

Following the April 21 public hearing, Trimble said while the RM has taken into consideration the ratepayers’ concerns, council will be going ahead with its financial plan for the year.

“We gave the budget second and third reading this afternoon after the public hearing, so it is an approved document,” said Trimble. “This is our final decision.”

The Manitoba Municipal Board (MMB) is still to approve the RM’s borrowing by-law for the PCU Centre. Trimble said the MMB indicated it was waiting until after the RM held a public hearing on the 2009 budget before making a decision on the borrowing bylaw.

Following the public hearing, the Reeve said he heard from both ratepayers who were opposed as well as those in favour of the RM’s financial plan.

“I think there was a good cross-section of the community there: people that were supportive and those that had concerns,” he said. “For people who were supportive, it is pretty difficult to get up and ask a question when you are in favour of it. So, I think there was just comment. I think we tried to answer the questions, and we have been answering a lot of the same questions for many months.”