The St. George Gorge can be seen in this undated photo. (Photo: Town of St. George/Facebook)
St. George town council has approved its $3.4-million budget for 2020.
The tax rate will remain at $1.40 per $100 of assessment — the second straight year with no change.
Water and sewer rates will go up by around three per cent, or $15, for most residents and businesses.
But industrial users will see their rates go up by nearly five per cent.
Jason Gaudet, the town’s chief administrative officer, said despite a marginal increase in expenses, they have to take into account an expected reduction of industrial usage.
“We have had to adjust expenses and utilize operational reserves in order to get through what we expect to be a one-off year of lower production from one of our industrial users,” said Gaudet in a news release. “These initiatives avoid passing along cost, as interim as they may be, to the ratepayers as a whole.”
Property assessments increased to $139.2-billion in 2020, an increase of two per cent over 2019.
Costs for police and fire services remain “close to neutral”, the town said, with increases of around 2.6 per cent.
As for capital projects, the town said it will continue work on constructing a splash pad as well as possible improvements to Canal Beach. The town also hopes to see a new apartment building and a housing subdivision in 2020.
“We are fairly optimistic on the continued growth and future development for the town,” said acting mayor Faith Avery in a statement.
Follow
