LaSalle Council Approves 2025 Municipal Budget

After two days of deliberations on December 4 and 5, LaSalle Council approved the 2025 Municipal General Levy at $50M. This amounts to an increase of $178.89 annually for the average single-family home. When this is calculated into the overall tax rate including the municipal, County of Essex and the education rate, the average single-family home will see an overall increase of $232.76 annually or $19.40 monthly.

“It is never easy to prioritize one need over another. I think that we have moved forward with a fiscally responsible budget that provides our residents with the services that they expect. Some difficult decisions have been made throughout this process,” said Mayor Crystal Meloche. “I want to thank Council, administration, and the residents who took the time to provide valuable feedback. Let’s keep the lines of communication open and continue to talk about our shared vision for LaSalle.”

Administration presented the draft budget with a recommended increase of $209.00 annually (7% tax rate increase). To reach the final tax rate, reductions included $85,000 related to insurance, $50,000 for 2025 staffing changes, $30,000 for strategic plan initiatives, $200,000 for the Asset Management Plan, $50,000 for the Fire Master Plan and $50,000 for Information Technology. The municipal levy will now increase by $4.2M over the 2024 Municipal Budget, bringing the 2025 General Levy to $50M. 

“These reductions do mean that there will be less funding available for future projects as part of the Town’s asset management, strategic initiatives, Fire Master Plan and information technology. Administration does understand the need to balance our operations with the needs of the community. Any further cuts would affect our service levels,” said Dale Langlois, Director of Finance/Treasurer.

The 2025 Budget includes increases of $1M for policing costs (ex. wages and benefits, transfers to reserves and administrative staff), $1.3M for recommended enhancements (ex. funding for master plans and contributions to capital reserves) and $1.8M for inflationary changes (ex. wages and benefits, insurance and garbage collection, etc.).

During the deliberations, Council approved the $3M capital budget placeholder for the construction of pickleball courts, and authorized administration to spend up to 10% for detailed design. Once complete, the detailed design, projected costs, and funding sources will be presented at a future Regular Meeting of Council for consideration to determine whether the project moves forward.

The average single-family home in the Town of LaSalle has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a two-car garage with an approximate market value of $710,000; this same home has an assessed value of $270,000 as determined by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). While the market and assessed values may differ significantly, the assessed value is used in determining property taxes. It is important to note that the province has postponed the MPAC update for several years. Property valuations for 2025 will continue to be based on the January 1, 2016 values. This means that nearly all properties in the Town will have an identical assessment value in 2025, as they did from 2020 to 2024.  The budget document can be viewed on the Finance page of the Town’s website. The Town of LaSalle budget sessions can be watched on the Town of LaSalle YouTube Channel - Special Meeting of Council: Budget Deliberations - 2024/12/04 and Special Meeting of Council: Budget Deliberations - 2024/12/05 .