JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1019 Report

The Town of St. Lazare ended 2024 with a $6.1-million budget surplus, according to the annual audited financial report presented at last week’s town council meeting, bringing its total accumulated surplus to just over $10 million.

According to the figures presented by St. Lazare financial director Dominic Leger, the town received $39,658,310 in total revenues last year, while posting expenses of $34,751,900, accounting for a $4.9-million surplus. Calculating these figures alongside payments for long-term debt and transfers leaves the town with a $6.1-million surplus.

The presentation highlighted $5.4 million unanticipated additional revenues in 2024. Among these revenues included $650,000 more than expected in “welcome taxes” from new property owners, $1 million in funds for projects pushed to 2025, and $1.5 million returned in fee adjustments for Sûreté du Québec services.

Mayor Geneviève Lachance spoke about the mishap with the SQ at the council meeting, lamenting the fact that the Quebec government did not see fit to pay the town interest on the $1.5 million it had been overcharged.

“The government took it (the money) and was very kind to keep it and send it back to us several months after, but we didn’t receive any interest paid to the city,” Lachance said. “The government makes interest on the backs of our citizens, so it’s a little absurd.”

Increased long-term debt

The presentation indicated a substantial increase in the town’s long-term debt, which was pegged at $48.9 million. This is an increase of 83 per cent, or about $22.2 million since 2023. This was attributed to temporary loans totalling $23.6 million, the majority of which went toward the construction of the sanitary sewer system in the Frontenac sector in the town’s east end — a project that looked to link 360 homes to the town’s sewer infrastructure. Residential homes in the sector were connected to the city’s network in August.

Despite this increase, Lachance pointed out that the debt rate for St. Lazare residents currently sits at 96 cents per $100 of property valuation.

“If we look at comparable cities in Quebec, the rate is $1.49 for $100 of valuation,” she explained, adding: “For the municipalities in the MRC of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, (the rate) is $1.35 for $100 of valuation, which is much higher than it is for St. Lazare residents.”