If you were to sum up the new Town of Creighton budget in two words, they would be "infrastructure spending".
The keystone of this year’s budget is capital spending on a number of infrastructure projects.
Of the listed projects, the most expensive items relate to water and sewer line replacement.
Line replacement from the town’s booster station, located near the Main Street-Creighton Avenue intersection, to the water treatment plant will cost the town around $1.1 million.
The remainder of the estimated $3.5-million project will be covered by the federal Clean Water and Wastewater Fund.
Upgrades to the town’s raw water pump station will cost the town about $245,000.
“There will be sewer replacement, service connection replacement and some sidewalk replacement,” said town administrator Paula Muench.
In addition, a pair of new boilers for the Creighton Sportex will set the town back about $24,000. The project will cost a total of $120,000, with the town anticipating some funding from the Northern Capital Grants program.
The boiler replacement is the fourth major project for the Sportex in the past year: $200,000 was spent on renovating the facility last year, as well as $50,000 for parking lot drainage and $115,000 on roof repair and water tank replacement.
A series of smaller projects are also included in this year’s budget.
New turnout gear for the Creighton Volunteer Fire Department will cost the town $2,000 per unit, while a new snow blade for a town-owned skid steer will cost about $15,000. Another $15,000 snow blade was purchased for a loader last year.
The town will also undertake a beautification process for Main Street. The exact cost of the project is unknown.
Along with the capital spending announcements, changes have been made to Creighton’s mill rate and minimum tax.
The town’s municipal mill rate will decrease from last year’s 10 mills to 7.5 mills this year. The minimum tax will be increased, going up by $25 from last year’s figure.
“We did that because of reassessments. The land assessment values have increased dramatically,” said Mayor Bruce Fidler. “We’ve had to lower the mill rate to adjust for that so taxes wouldn’t be outrageous.”
“The mill rate factor is staying the same,” said Muench. “People who have seen a minimum tax, which is quite a few, will see a $25 increase on the municipal side. For schools, that’s all regulated by the province. We have nothing to do with that.”
In addition, the town has increased its trailer rent and licence fees by a combined total of $20 a month. The rates had not increased in eight years.
“It’s to try and stay in line with the minimum tax that other taxpayers are paying for the same services,” said Muench.
