Georges Bourelle is continuing the offensive against Montreal’s Agglomeration council, the island-wide body of elected officials.
Beaconsfield is now suing the council for $6 Million, a $2 Million increase compared to last year.
Bourelle says the increase is due to the agglomeration council continuing to increase its bill to Beaconsfield each year, while the level of public services remains the same.
Beaconsfield owes Montreal’s Agglomeration Council $2,450,700 more this year compared to last year. It means the taxpayer for a home owner in Beaconsfield will pay an average of 7 per cent more in 2022.
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“It’s terrible,” Bourelle told Global News.
The Beaconsfield mayor says most of the 15 suburban municipalities on the island will also be paying the agglomeration council more in 2022 compared to 2021.
“We’re paying about 56 per cent more for the same services,” Bourelle said.
He contends that the formula to pay should be based on the quantity of public services, like mass transit, that residents receive rather than a formula based solely on property values.
But Bourelle said Montreal’s mayor, who oversees the Agglomeration Council, refuses to change the equation.
“That’s why we’ve taken the route of going with a lawsuit,” Bourelle said.
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The borough mayor of Saint-Laurent sympathizes with Bourelle, but Alan DeSousa argues taxes in Montreal for homeowners are increasing as well.
“Montreal is also paying a paying a huge part of it. And as a taxpayer of Montreal, I object,” DeSousa said.
Bourelle fears the agglomeration council bills will likely continue to increase with the impending release of the 2023-2025 property evaluation roll.