BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1510 West

The average homeowner in Ste. Anne de Bellevue will be paying 3.2 per cent more in property taxes this year, according to the municipality’s $24.8-million budget, which was approved last month.

That means the tax bill for an average single-family home – now valued at $655,403 – will be $4,823, or $152 more than the 2024 total of $4,671. The calculations are based on a mill rate set at 73.59 cents per $100 of valuation, up 3.25 per cent from the 2024 rate of 71.27 cents.

An additional fee for water based on consumption will also be assessed.

Tax rates for residential buildings with six or more units is set at 79.23 cents per $100 valuation, up 3.25 per cent from 2024; while the non-residential tax rate jumps 3.25 per cent to $3.0286 per $100 valuation. The taxation rate for vacant lots taxes a whopping 29.15-per-cent hike this year, hitting $2.5755 per $100 valuation, up from $1.9887 in 2024.

Overall, the town will increased its spending by 7 per cent this year compared with 2024, with the biggest increase attributed to costs assessed to the town by the Montreal Agglomeration and the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal. These costs, which total almost $11 million, account for 45.1 per cent of the town’s budget.

Since 2021, these costs, which the town has no control over, have increased by 37.8 per cent, budget documents show.

The second largest increase in spending falls under the category of general administration, where costs will hit $2.2 million, up almost 24 per cent from $1.8 million in 2024. This jump, according to town documents, are attributed in part to $150,000 budgeted for municipal elections in the fall and an $117,500 increase in professional fees to handle land transfers and negotiations for collective agreements.

Ste. Anne council also approved a $23.2-million triennial investment plan for 2025-2027, which includes $9.8 million in spending for this year.

Among the projects earmarked in 2025 are $3.1 million for the reconstruction of St. Jean Baptiste Street, including replacing sewers, and redoing sidewalks and paving; and $2.26 million in upgrades along the boardwalk, which includes $1.5 million for a new pavilion at Lalonde Park.