By Ruby Pratka

Local Journalism Initiative

At the Dec. 9 council meeting where Bromont adapted its 2025 budget and three-year infrastructure plan, the key word was “resilience” – resilience amid a difficult economic situation, climate resilience and the resilience of the city’s aging infrastructure. Another key word was “participation” – this was the first budget for which a citizens’ consultative committee weighed in, and the first budget to include an amount set aside for projects proposed by citizens. Details of the participative budget project will be announced this fall.

“We are living in complex economic times. This 2025 budget represents our desire to be collectively resilient in this context. Despite this, we have managed to limit the tax increase to 1.94 per cent, while reserving amounts in the operating budget for projects such as the development of an affordable housing policy, improvements to bike paths, the fight against Eurasian watermilfoil [and] the return of Bromont Blues,” Mayor Louis Villeneuve said.

“With the economic situation, we had to respect everyone’s capacity to pay, but we did not want to cut services to citizens, lifestyle projects or climate resilience – those are things we have to deal with,” deputy mayor Tatiana Contreras told the BCN. She explained that other major projects include replacing aging water and sewage infrastructure and roadwork (“the kinds of things that are less sexy but need to be prioritized”), putting in place car-sharing and transport-on-demand projects, developing an affordable housing policy and working to improve access to daycare. Firefighters should also be able to move into the new central fire station in early 2025; Contreras said it remains to be seen what will be done with the two buildings the fire department will vacate.

The city also increased the funding it provides to the Société de conservation Mont-Brome, Les Amis des Sentiers, Action Bassins Versants Bromont, the CAB Marguerite-Dubois, Tourisme Bromont and the national cycling centre, for a total of $1,206,930 in grants (about $92,000 more than last year).

To finance these and other initiatives, the city chose to increase the property tax rate, bucking a regional trend of decreasing tax rates to compensate for rising property values. A single-family home will now be taxed at 62.3 cents per $100 of assessed value (up from 60.4 cents), a multi-unit residential building at 66.7 cents (up from 64.7 cents), a non-residential building at $1.628 (up from $1.578), an industrial building at $2.17 ( up from $2.104), agricultural land at 54.5 cents (up from 52.8) and vacant serviced land at $1.245 (up from $1.208). Total tax revenues are expected to rise by 8.6 per cent. Nearly 65 per cent of town revenue comes from property taxes, by far the town’s largest source of income.

In terms of utility service fees, homeowners and business owners paying flat rates for water and sewage will pay $6 more for water and sewage service and $4.50 more for recycling centre services, but $40 less for waste management. Businesses using water counters will pay two cents per square metre more than last year.

Detailed presentations on the budget and three-year infrastructure plan are available in French on the city website.