A necessary tax-hike according to the council
The municipal council of the City of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le- Lac adopted on the 26th of January its 2022 budget totaling $26,928,942. This procedure was fraught with several major challenges, but the announced increase was necessary in order to offer more services to the population of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, while preserving the financial health and development of the City.
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In fact, the municipal council had to deal with the entry into force of a new property assessment roll, which saw an average increase of 21.6%. Added to this is the lack of indexation of the tax bill in recent years and the financial repercussions of the events of 2019. The city’s financial health has been weakened in the past and a catch-up was therefore required in order to improve the services offered while not sacrificing the investments essential to the proper functioning and development of the City.
“We worked hard to make relevant choices and an increase was essential to achieving our objectives. It would have been irresponsible on our part not to proceed with this increase after analyzing the files. The City was operating on a minimal budget, which did not allow for any long-term strategic vision, and we had to go further to meet the demands of the population,” explained the mayor, François Robillard.
Main projects for 2022
The City is starting 2022 with the firm intention of prioritizing the drinking water dossier. Moreover, several major investments are planned for the drinking water plant to improve the efficiency and proper functioning of the current infrastructures. The City will continue the studies begun in collaboration with Polytechnique Montréal to better understand the accumulation of deposits throughout the network and attempt to reduce manganese directly at the source.
The City also wishes to improve the offer of leisure services as well as cultural and community activities in order to create an ever more family-oriented and dynamic living environment.
The maintenance and upgrading of certain aging infrastructures are two other essentials that will make it possible to extend their lifespan, while maximizing their proper functioning in the long term.
The City also wishes to highlight and develop its parks and green spaces; thus, an upgrade of some parks will take place this year. The environment remains a priority, of course, and it is for this reason that the addition of a position reserved for this mandate is planned, which will allow the City, among other things, to begin the project to create micro-forests .
Finally, the council wishes to deploy a long-term strategic vision regarding the development and the financial situation of the City. “My team and I are satisfied with this first budget, which is responsible and consistent with our common vision for the future of our city. We have decided to invest in our living environment and in the services offered to citizens in order to build the future of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac together,” concluded the mayor.
Tax account and deadlines
Once again this year, owners will be able to pay their tax account in four equal instalments. As in previous years, an explanatory leaflet will be attached to the mailing of all accounts. Citizens who wish to view their account online will be able to do so via the Voilà platform as of February 2, and that postal statements will follow in the following days.
