Heather Wright/The Independent

The average Petrolia homeowner will pay about $97 more in municipal taxes this year.

But its the increase in their water rates which might be most noticeable.

Petrolia council spent Nov. 26 reviewing the 2025 budget prepared by CAO Rick Charlebois and his staff. 

Councillors approved a three per cent increase in taxes which will mean about $1,026 in municipal taxes for every $100,000 of assessed value of your home. For the resident with an average home assessed at $194,000, that will mean an extra $97 this year. The total tax bill will be higher when county and school board taxes will be added to the total. 

Petrolia plans to spend $6,825,297 to operate the town in 2025. That’s a 5.4 per cent spending increase over 2024’s budget.

It also plans to spend $2.97 million in the capital budget on things like roads, building maintenance and building a new washroom in the former Scotiabank to make it a public meeting space. About $1.17 million of that will come from grants.

Residents are most likely to see the pinch of the 2025 budget on their water bill.

Council has agreed to increase the flat rate for water from $10.53 to $15 per month, tacking an extra $54 a year to the bill. That’s a 46 per cent increase according to Councillor Chad Hyatt.

Charlebois told council the town needs to contribute over $4 million to the new $16 million water intake at the Bright’s Grove Treatment plant. Right now the town has close to $2 million set aside for the project.

Charlebois, Mayor Brad Loosley and Councillor Liz Welsh all voiced concern that if the money for the project was not raised through water rates, the town would have to take out a loan and pay interest in the future.

“I really do not want the town to have to debenture for that water line, unless we have to,” said Mayor Loosley. “If we can afford to pay our own way, that would be great.”

Charlebois says the increase in the fixed water rate would bring in about $163,000 extra in 2025.

The town also planned to raise water rates by 2.5 per cent However Hyatt argued the town shouldn’t increase the variable and fixed rate at the same time.  Council agreed, leaving the variable rate as it was. The 2.5 per cent increase in the variable rate would have brought in another $27,000.