Town of Paradise Makes Strategic Investments and Maintains Mil Rates With Balanced 2020 Budget

Town of Paradise Makes Strategic Investments and Maintains Mil Rates With Balanced 2020 Budget

December 3, 2019 – Paradise, NL - The 2020 Budget for the Town of Paradise was tabled at the Public Council Meeting, December 3, 2019. The $37.9 million balanced budget focuses on making strategic investments in key initiatives while maintaining the Town’s current level of programs and services, all with no impact to residential or commercial mil rates.

For 2020, the residential and commercial mil rates will remain at 7.2 and 11.5, respectively, and there will be no change to the residential water and sewer rate of $600 per unit. For commercial water and sewer, the Town will move from a per unit rate to a mil rate structure. This is a common approach used by many municipalities across the province as it makes the water and sewer fee structure more equitable among all users. The Town of Paradise will implement a mil rate of 1.0 in 2020 for commercial water and sewer, which is among the lowest in the region.

“We are fortunate to have an engaged population in the Town of Paradise, and we welcome the input and ideas from our residents and stakeholders,” said Deputy Mayor Elizabeth Laurie, Chair of the Corporate Services Committee. “With careful and deliberate planning along with strong fiscal management we are able to bring in new initiatives and pilot creative solutions in Budget 2020 which are in direct response to the feedback from our residents.”

Key initiatives in Budget 2020 include:

Funding for Paradise Road Phase IV project, annual street rehabilitation program, design work for a roundabout at Kenmount Road and McNamara Drive, and improvements to the intersection of St. Thomas Line and Paradise Road;
Partnering with the Aquarena to offer time slots exclusive to Paradise residents for swimming lessons and family swim sessions;
Hiring Crossing Guards for the four elementary schools in Town;
Developing an accessible transportation pilot program based on best practices used by municipalities across the country and input from community groups;
Implementing a Business Concierge program to establish a single point of contact for our new and existing businesses to help them navigate the application and development process;
Launching a Green Footprint public education campaign to encourage residents and businesses to reduce, reuse, and recycle, enabling the Town to help reduce its environmental footprint; and
Allocating $400,000 to the Infrastructure Reserve Fund, bringing the investment to $1.4 million for future asset management needs.

Deputy Mayor Laurie noted that all the initiatives of Budget 2020 are being implemented without borrowing. “We believe in prudent and strategic fiscal management. And while there may be a time when we need to borrow, our current fiscal needs are met within our current revenue sources,” she said. “With no new borrowing requirements, the Town’s debt-servicing ratio is now just under 5 percent, which is one of the lowest in the province.”

During Budget 2020, it was also announced that the Town has reached a purchase agreement with the property owners at 3 St. Thomas Line. This property is adjacent to Lift Station 10 and was impacted by the equipment failure that happened in August. The Town will acquire the affected property for a cost of $430,000. The lift station repairs and property acquisition will be accommodated without impacting the Town’s budget plan.

“The Town of Paradise is a thriving and well-balanced community, a place people are proud to call home,” said Mayor Dan Bobbett. “With careful consideration given to the common themes presented by our residents, our stakeholders and Council, Budget 2020 is a strong reflection of the progressive direction we all want for our Town.”

For more information on Budget 2020, visit paradise.ca/budget

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Media Contact

Diane Keough, Communications Manager, Town of Paradise

dkeough@paradise.ca

709.782.2603 (office) or 709.769.4212 (cell)