January 7, 2019 | News

2019 municipal taxes – Over half of the City’s expenses allocated to the Agglomeration of Montréal

For the first time in its history, the City of Pointe-Claire will send a municipal tax bill where more than half of our expenses are related to services provided by the Agglomeration of Montréal.

These services include the police, the fire department, public transit, water treatment, air quality, the municipal court, and property assessment. The City of Pointe-Claire has no decision-making power or real influence over these services, which represent 51% of the City’s expenses in 2019.

The City of Pointe-Claire will continue to improve and add to the services it offers to residents while keeping costs limited to the rate of inflation.

In a period of less than eleven months, between January 2018 and November 2018, the Agglomeration of Montréal sent the City of Pointe-Claire bills that are five times higher than the rate of inflation.

“The increases imposed on Pointe-Claire by the City of Montréal for Agglomeration fees since January 2018 represent an 8.9% increase in our contributions, which is equivalent to $5.8 million. This is a heavy burden for our taxpayers, and we have very few options to compensate for these increases. We did so in 2018, but these increases will unfortunately affect our tax bills this year,” stated Mayor Belvedere.

The tax bill increase in 2019 for an average single-family home assessed at $394,110 will be $207, $137 of which will go toward the decisions of the City of Montréal and $70 toward the services offered by Pointe-Claire.

Moreover, in order to keep municipal infrastructures and equipment in good condition and reduce their long-term maintenance costs while taking advantage of various government grant programs, the City of Pointe-Claire will continue to carry out various infrastructure projects to ensure the variety and quality of municipal infrastructures and services.

Some of our plans for 2019 include:

• repairs on at least six streets or street sections,
• the development of the new Tony-Proudfoot Park,
• the redevelopment of sports facilities at Valois and Cedar Parks,
• a new major cultural project at Stewart Hall,
• new sustainable development commitments,
• the continued implementation of our Special Planning Programs,
• more public consultations to encourage commitment.

“Our efficient administration and our commitment to preserve the quality of life and the variety of the public services we offer to everyone remain our priorities. Our city has a bright future, and we will continue to work hard to keep Pointe-Claire an exceptional place to live,” said Mayor Belvedere in conclusion.

Deadlines 2019

Information: 514-630-1200, communications@pointe-claire.ca