Newmarket is set to give final approval to a budget that will see its share of the municipal property tax rise by 5.5 per cent.
Council will consider final approval of the budget at its April 3 meeting. Council will also be advancing decisions on a new pickleball facility and removing the open forum portion of its meetings.
Here is what NewmarketToday will be following:
Budget approval
The town is set to finalize its property tax increase for 2023 at 5.5 per cent.
The larger-than-usual increase comes primarily due to inflation, according to staff. Council has spent weeks discussing the matter, bringing the increase down more than two per cent over the course of the deliberations.
The increase amounts to a $125 annual tax bill increase for a home assessed at $706,000 and a $159 tax bill increase for a home assessed at $900,000.
Combined with York Region’s 3.9 per cent increase for its portion of your tax bill, and the school board portion being at a zero per cent increase, the blended tax rate increase is 3.79 per cent.
The budget process for 2024 will begin in a few months, with the town aiming to have it in place by the end of the year.
Pickleball decisions
The process for a new pickleball facility will get underway as council is set to finalize a resolution to build one at the Lions Park tennis courts.
The move has garnered support from pickleball players, with a newly formed Newmarket Pickleball Club set to run the new facility, which will involve a reconstruction at the tennis courts. But some have lamented the loss of tennis facilities in the neighbourhood, given the distance of a massive 10-court facility getting built at the south end of town.
Council will also be finalizing a decision to pilot municipal management of the new tennis facility in the winter months for a year, as opposed to a private provider. The Newmarket Tennis Club will run the new facility in the summer months.
Meeting changes
An open forum before council meetings is coming to an end.
Town staff proposed to remove the clause in the council’s procedural bylaw, which allowed 15 minutes before the formal start of a meeting to make informal inquiries or make a comment on municipal business.
“Historically, this provided an avenue for the public to have informal discussions with council at its meetings,” a staff report said. “The manner in which residents engage and access their elected officials has changed. Members of the public can now connect with council using other avenues such as email, social media, and at events.”
Residents can still message the town to arrange formal deputations during meetings or to have letters included in the agenda.
Other proposed changes to the procedural bylaw include making permanent the hybrid meeting policy, which allows council members to attend meetings remotely.
The town will stream the council meeting at 1 p.m. You can view the stream at newmarket.ca/meetings or attend in person at 395 Mulock Dr. You can also arrange a deputation or send correspondence by emailing [email protected].
