The second half building rally in the Municipality of Meaford continued in December.
Meaford council at its regular meeting on January 11 received the final building statistics from 2009. The news was good for council as 2009 building numbers ended up exceeding the numbers recorded in 2008.
December was another great month for building activity in Meaford. The total value of building permits issued in December 2009 exceeded $778,000. In 2008 that number was just $60,000. The month of December included two new homes with a combined value of $700,000.
Total construction activity in Meaford in 2009 was close to $22 million - at $21,985,630. Total value in 2009 exceeded the total value of 2008 by more than $600,000.
In 2009 there were 42 new homes built, compared to 43 in 2008. A total of 71 renovation projects were completed in 2009, compared to 69 in 2008. The municipality issued a total of 347 permits in 2009 - just 10 less than the 357 issued in 2008.
Early in 2009 building numbers lagged significantly behind the numbers in 2008. However, a rally over the last half of the year allowed the numbers to catch up to 2008 - despite the ongoing recession.
The federal government's Home Renovation Tax Credit had a major impact on the numbers. The total value of renovations in 2009 was $3,425,000. That number was significantly higher than the 2008 value of $2,279,000.
Members of Meaford council have been aware of the second half rally for the past several months. The final numbers impressed members of council.
"Those are amazing numbers for a year with a recession like this," said councillor Harley Greenfield, noting that he is pleased to see more agricultural buildings going up in the municipality.
Councillor Jim McPherson said the strong building numbers show what the municipality is capable of achieving with proper staffing structures in place.
"This year we had a full staff complement in the planning and building departments. That speaks volumes," said McPherson.
Director of Planning and Building Rob Armstrong said the municipality collected approximately $170,000 in Building Department fees during the year. That amount exceeded the revenue expected in 2010 by $35,000. Due to the downturn in the economy in 2010 the budget actually predicted a Building Department deficit of approximately $38,000. The extra fees collected will result in the department's budget finishing in an almost neutral position.
