Bromont city council adopted the city’s 2022 budget during a council meeting on Dec. 13.
The $37.2-million budget, 6.3% larger than last year’s, does not include any increase in property taxes. This was made possible “thanks to rigorous management and to the current enviable financial situation of the town of Bromont,” Catherine Page, the town’s director of communications and smart city operations, said in a written statement.
However, the garbage collection fee for property owners will increase by $104, due to an increase in transport costs following a contract with a new provider, according to Page.
In line with regional trends, property values have gone up; the total value of buildings in Bromont has risen by an estimated $87 million, or 3.63 per cent. Most of the growth is from the residential and multi-unit housing (6 or more units) sectors.
The increase in the budget, according to Page, can mainly be attributed to the hiring of 12 new city employees. “These new hires aim to compensate for the lack of resources vis-à-vis the significant increase in the workload of certain city departments,” she explained.
The city also plans to invest $172,500 in the development of the second phase of its mobility plan (MOBi), $42,000 in efforts to combat invasive plant species, $40,000 in the development of a food security action plan (Bromont, Ville nourricière), $30,000 in the organization of an affordable housing summit, $25,000 in the revision of its urban plan and $23,000 in the development of a climate change adaptation plan. An estimated $850,000 will be invested in plans and estimates for the startup incubator-accelerator of the Parc scientifique Bromont.
Major infrastructure plans for the coming year include the construction of a new sewer line at a cost of $4.6 million, construction of a new fire station ($7.6 million, minus an expected government grant of $3.25 million and contributions from the towns of Brigham and Saint-Alphonse), modifications to the intersection of Boulevard de Bromont and Rue Shefford (Route 241) and the finalization of a bike path between the Route 241 Bridge and Rue John-Savage ($1.7 million, minus a $545,000 subsidy from the provincial government’s active transport and urban perimeters program) and the construction of pickleball courts ($416,000). The city will spend $120,000 to improve the safety of intersections in school zones.
The city’s debt will reach $64 million in 2022. Its net total indebtedness is at its lowest since 2019, according to a presentation provided by the city.
“Bromont now has the status of a city, and it has to have the means for its ambitions,” stated Mayor Louis Villeneuve. “We will succeed thanks to the growth of investments in the industrial sector. The residential sector is experiencing significant growth, and we will take the opportunity to revisit its role as we revise our urban plan. Environmental concerns and the maintenance of city services and of our citizens’ quality of life are also among the priorities of the new city council.”
