Recreation gets boost in St Pierre budget

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/05/2024 (761 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It is a homerun for recreation in St-Pierre-Jolys’ $2.59-million budget presented May 2.

The budget is down about $25,000 from last year’s expenses, though there was a $57,000 deficit in 2023. The mill rate is flat, but more assessment means $220,000 more tax revenue to offset getting less in other revenue like provincial grants.

Recreation and cultural services get the biggest bump, going up over $157,000 to now have a nearly $476,000 budget.

A second Parc Carillon baseball diamond project grant was confirmed for $47,000. The ball diamond is expected to cost $80,000 total, with $20,000 coming from in-kind contributions and only $10,000 from the Village’s reserves.

The financial plan presentation said the ball diamond was needed to help with increased demand on the local minor league and the disappearance of the ball diamonds at St Malo School due to its expansion. Parc Carillon got another $5,000 grant for capital projects.

The Joly Regional Library also falls under this part of the budget. It received $16,900 for operations, a shared responsibility with De Salaberry that cut its portion of the library budget to a lower cost share rather than the per capita basis until a St Malo library space can be found.

Recreations centres and halls are getting $76,000 more. The parks/playgrounds/campground/splashpad budget more than doubled to $143,625.

The Rat River Recreation Commission got $30,000, a $7,000 increase.

All of these recreation increases are projected to stay and go up more in next year’s budget.

No major road work is being done as the village saves up for bigger street jobs. Croteau/Cote Avenue is getting a $50,000 repair.

There is $50,000 going to sidewalk renewal from the Parc Carillon entrance to Mulaire.

Other capital projects all paid with saved up reserves or grants include $35,000 for skid steer replacement, $30,000 to replace a utility vehicle, $20,000 water supply for a fire protection study, $10,000 for the municipal office flagpole, $4,500 for a volume generator, $5,000 for the Cote/Croteau lift station, and $5,000 for the food cycler program that will exhaust the last of the BiPole III fund.

The food cycler program provides subsidized compost machines to residents for $150 or $300, depending on the size. But 50 people need contact the municipal office to ensure the project is not cancelled. As of last week, only 21 had signed up for the pilot project.

The capital budget that was not on the presentation also listed two corn hole games ($3,000) and eight park benches ($5,000).

Economic development gets a $58,000 increase. Most of the $127,000 budget goes to consulting fees for Efficiency Manitoba projects for municipal buildings and other growth related projects.

The tax effect when adding up the mill rates, special levies, sewer, waste and recycling charges will be a 3.33 percent increase for a portioned assessment of $114,660, meaning a $2,958 municipal tax bill. It is up 3.61 percent for a $598,780 business to $15,169.