Taché taxes up as community centre cost climbs to $30.2 million

Taxes on average will go up seven to 8.6 percent in Tache’s $42.86-million budget, though residents will need to check to see what their property is now worth in this assessment year to see the actual effect on their bill.

The total expense number is mostly driven by the new Tache Community Centre that is expected to start major construction this week. The centre’s cost is now estimated at over $30.2 million, up from $29.5 million estimated last fall. When federal and provincial grants were announced in January 2023, the cost estimate was $11 million.

Tache council approved borrowing up to $6 million for the project to be built beside the current 61-year-old arena in Lorette, which will be torn down after the new facility is built.

The new community centre will combine an arena, library, activity centre with kitchen, and a second floor with program spaces, meeting rooms and administrative areas. The RM believes it will be completed by the end of 2026. The nearby spray pad will be closed during construction.

Getting the centre to this point has cost $1 million. The 2025 budget has another $29.33 million to be spent this year.

Chief financial officer Cheryl Harder stressed during her financial plan presentation May 13 that the RM is working with Three Way Builders to find cost savings.

“We are working… steadily to get this number down, and at the very minimum to get this project in on budget,” said Harder.

Along with the $6 million in borrowing, the RM is using $3.7 million from the Canada Community-Building Fund reserve, $3.5 million from the capital and at large reserve, $1.5 million from the Lorette LUD capital/surplus reserves, $1.24 million from Manitoba Hydro’s Community Development Initiative (Bipole three) reserve, and $383,000 from the Tache complex reserve.

The rest is from federal grants ($4.63 million), provincial grants ($8.92 million), and the Bibliotheque Tache Public Library ($408,500).

Harder added that more community fundraising opportunities will be announced soon.

After the community complex is constructed, Tache’s budget is expected to drop down to $18.4 million next year. That is more in line with last year’s expenditure of $17 million.

Total municipal taxes collected are up by $950,000 or 10.6 percent this year over last, totaling $10.6 million for 2025.

But mill rates are actually going down to lessen the burden of big jumps in property value assessments, which combined with new construction are up 24.7 percent.

Harder believes the provincial report estimating new construction only making up two percentage points of that 24.7 percent increase leads her to believe municipal tax increases will be closer to seven percent on average than the conservative 8.6 percent estimate.

Property values have boomed in Tache in recent years. The portioned assessment total for the RM – the amount that is actually taxed, 45 percent in the case of residential property – went from $600 million in 2018 to over $990 million in 2025.

Landmark

The second-largest capital project in the budget is one not intended to actually be built this year.

Forcemain twinning in Landmark is in the budget at a cost of $4.13 million, but as a placeholder to show other level of governments that Tache is serious about building it as the RM seeks grants to cover 75 percent of the cost.

Landmark is to have its Main Street watermain extension finished this year. The total cost is $659,000. A lift station upgrade borne by the utility reserve will cost $70,000.

After the watermain is done, Main Street will see a new $220,000 sidewalk. There will also be a new pedestrian crosswalk on Provincial Road 206 at Robert Koop Road.

The arena grounds are getting a lot of work done including a $156,000 outdoor rink ($106,000 from private donations), $40,000 for soccer pitches, $40,000 for a walking path, and more.

Lorette

The budget has more than the community centre for Lorette.

A concrete path and asphalt roadway is connecting Ferland Bay to Dawson Road at the high school at a cost of $150,000. A St Amant curb and gutter will cost another $150,000.

Parks will get $95,000 in improvements, and $30,000 will be spent on three concrete welcome signs built by a municipal staff member.

The Lorette utility is spending $50,000 on a 2022 Dodge Ram 1500, and $30,000 on fencing around its Lorette Golf Course lift station.

Rural/Centre of Canada

The Poirier Road bridge rehabilitation on the west end of the RM is the largest rural area expense at $625,508. A grant paying 50 percent of the cost has been approved.

The most visible project outside of the towns is the $100,000 gift shop at the Centre of Canada park. An 80 percent grant is pending for it, and the RM has set aside another $20,000 for its interior. The park is waiting on another grant to build a $100,000 trail.

Tree Canada has approved $10,000 for tree planting at the Centre of Canada. There is also $5,000 set aside for lighting.

Other rural capital expenses include Road 54N drainage ($214,000), a mower attachment ($120,000), and a three-quarter ton truck ($120,000).

Solid waste management is waiting for a 50 percent grant to complete a $1.2-million clean site project. It also spent $150,000 on a new skidsteer.

The fire department gets a $75,000 breathing air compressor, $32,201 in turnout gear replacements, and other small equipment. A $384,000 rescue vehicle will need a grant approved.