Budget

The budget decisions made for 2019 reflect City Council’s ongoing commitment to:

• Ensuring sound management of our municipal finances; 
• Effectively controlling our operating expenditures;
• Delivering high-quality services at the lowest possible cost;
• Respecting citizens’ ability to pay.

It was also drawn up in accordance with the following priorities:

• controlling the wage bill;
• no increase in the administrative divisions’ budgets for controllable expenditures; and
• a tax increase of less than 2%.

The resulting budget for 2020 totals nearly $56.98M. This budget includes all general property taxes, which cover local Saint-Lambert services, regional services falling under the jurisdiction of the Agglomération de Longueuil, and the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) contribution.

The City of Saint-Lambert, as the other related municipalities, collects the taxes required for the Longueuil Agglomeration’s operations, in the form of a contributory “share,” which is paid directly to the Longueuil Agglomeration. For more information, you can consult the budget of the Longueuil agglomeration.

This budget shows the commitment of our new city council to continuing to improve infrastructures, maintain quality of life, and offer services that live up to the expectations of Saint-Lambert residents, all at the best possible cost.

Thanks to tight control over spending, the increase in the overall tax bill will be limited to only 1.89%. For residences, this means a tax rate of $0.9888 for every $100 of valuation, compared to $0.9704 in 2019. The average tax bill for a single-family residence evaluated at $635,846 and whose value is stable will therefore increase by $117 for the year 2020. 

New features 

The 2019 budget maintains the focus on offering quality services. Some measures will therefore be renewed once again in 2020:

• Free access to sports facilities offered to organizations whose services are intended for young people in order to promote physical exercise as a healthy lifestyle;
• Free public transport maintained for low-income seniors, but by offering monthly Accès 65 HORS POINTE transit passes instead of tickets;
• Increase in the amounts of subsidies granted to organizations to help them deliver their services.

City Council has also decided to introduce the following new measures:

• Additional opening hours at the library;
• Addition of a position in Human Resources and of a foreman position in Public Works to meet growing needs;
• Increase in investments for tree planting.

Revenues

The main variations in revenues are explained as follows:

• In lieu of taxes: The decrease is related to the non-taxable portion of Seaway Park (federal).
• Grants/Subsidies: From now on, capital repayments must be presented as a reduction in the debt service, and repayment of interest must be presented as a grant/subsidy.
• Land transfer duties: We have increased this revenue to factor in the removal of ceilings allowed by Bill 122, by taxing value in excess of $500,000 at the rate of 3%.
• Other revenues: The decrease is mainly attributable to a decrease in the amount provided for in the agglomeration’s fiscal pact.

Expenditures

The main variations in expenditures are explained as follows:

• General administration: The amount of grants to organizations has been increased and a position has been added in the Human Resources Office.
• Public Works, Engineering and Urban Planning: A foreman position has been added.
• Road network: There has been an increase in salaries, which was offset by a decrease in other departments, and an increase in the budget for snow removal.
• Environmental health: There has been a significant decrease in the cost of removing waste materials and the addition of transportation costs for recyclable materials to the new site
• Employer contributions: There has been an adjustment to the amount to be provided for in the future based on actuarial valuations.
• Forestry: The money to fight the emerald ash borer comes out of the operating fund and is adjusted upwards according to the determination of Council. Money to plant new trees comes out of the capital fund ($150,000).
• Library, arts and culture: The Cultural Policy subsidized by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications has been rolled out and optimization made possible through the updating of facilities.
• Debt service: The debt service has increased following a new issue.