Uxbridge approves budget; announces $500,000 provincial grant for sports field lighting

Uxbridge Township approved its annual budget and ten-year capital investment plan Monday, with taxpayers set to pay an extra 3.89 per cent in property taxes.

The Township’s 2022 Budget consists of operating expenditures of $19 million and capital expenditures of $11.9 million, of which $15.4 million will be funded through property taxes.

A major project funded through this year’s budget include field lighting for two soccer fields, the skate park and pump track at the Fields of Uxbridge, with the Township paying for most of that through a $500,000 provincial grant from the Community Building Fund.

“COVID has demonstrated how important outdoor recreations is for the community”, said Mayor Dave Barton. “This grant will enable us to light our playing fields and our skate and pump park which will extend the hours these amenities can be used, particularly in the late summer and fall. Lighting enables us to host events that serves to bring visitors into our community and is a point of pride for residents”

Fields of Uxbridge plans

Taxpayers will also be off the hook for part of the Uxbridge Historical Centre’s operating revenue this year after the Centre received grant funding for $17,566.00 from the Re-opening Fund for Heritage Organizations, Museum Assistance Program through the Department of Canadian Heritage.

One project that will be funded through tax dollars is road improvements on four roads in the Township, as efforts continue to convert gravel roads to hard surface. Council received a report identifying four roads which will be hard surfaced in 2022 – a stretch of O’Neil Road, two sections of Ashworth Road and a part of Concession 5 – as well as a schedule of the 10 year plan for converting the remaining gravel roads to hard surface.

Uxbridge Council also supported a recommendation Monday to install a stop sign at Second St. and Young St. to reduce traffic speed in the area. Traffic calming was proposed to discourage ‘cut-through traffic.’

Council also released a series of reports and survey data from the Downtown Revitalization Project, which among other findings recommends designing a new Town Square.

Those reports included the Resident Survey, Market Area Data Report, Customer Origin Survey, Business Owner Survey, final Public Consultation and Visualization report and Highlights of the Results.