Enniskillen fire levy increasing $100,000 in 2024
The fire levy will increase 18 percent.
Enniskillen Township needs $100,000 more to fund the two fire departments, which serve the municipality. This will put the 2024 levy at $650,000, compared to $550,000 in 2023.
“Although the timing and the accurate cost of the future capital expenditures are not known, it is clear that the $550,000 fire levy will not support the operating expenses and the proposed capital expenditures,” said Enniskillen Township Administrator Clerk Duncan McTavish, in a report presented to council at its Feb. 20 meeting.
McTavish made the recommendation the levy be increased by $100,000, saying the levy will need to be reviewed once the full scale and timing for the fire department expenditures are clarified.
The 2024 operating budget of the Petrolia and North Enniskillen Fire Department will be $564,082, an increase of $95,744 from the 2023 budget, a 20.4 percent increase. The capital budget for Petrolia and North Enniskillen will also increase to $82,800 from $70,800 in 2023, a 16.9 percent increase.
McTavish said the fire department will not be presenting a multi-year capital budget to the municipality until the spring of 2024. The replacement of the tanker truck and the renovations of the fire hall’s washrooms are under discussion. Enniskillen Township Council has pledged to set aside $40,000 in 2024 for the washroom renovations. Enniskillen Township council said no to purchasing a $1.4 million combined tanker and pumper truck in 2023.
The 2024 operating budget for the Oil Springs and South Enniskillen has increased to $187,840 from $168,850 in 2023, an 11.2 percent increase. At the last fire commission meeting in January, there was also a discussion about the need for clean/dirty change rooms at the Oil Springs fire hall. This was recognized during an inspection by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development.
A plan does need to be in place, but fire commission chair, Oil Springs Councillor Jordon Newport said at the last Oil Springs council meeting on Feb. 6, that construction is likely a couple of years away. The fire commission will be getting a hold of a couple of contractors to look for estimated quotes and review what is required.
Enniskillen Township covers 40 percent of the Petrolia and North Enniskillen Fire Department budget and 78 percent of the Oil Springs and South Enniskillen Fire Department budget.
Blake Ellis, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Independent
