CORNWALL – A last minute adjustment to the 2025 draft SDG Counties budget saw two per cent cut to the proposed tax increase due to last week’s OPP invoice reduction. Still, SDG Counties Council met December 3 to consider a budget with a proposed 4.83 per cent tax increase.
“It’s really about the challenges of external pressures,” Counties’ CAO Maureen Adams told council adding that it was “good news” about the late OPP announcement.
When the draft budget was first released last week, SDG was looking at a 6.87 tax increase as a starting point.
“It looks like it will be in the fours,” said Warden Jamie MacDonald in his opening comments of the budget meeting.
If approved as is, the 2025 SDG budget will see a residential property tax increase of $30.76 per $100,000 in assessed value.
Treasurer Rebecca Russell explained to council that of the 4.83 per cent tax increase, 3.06 per cent is from those external agencies. That includes shared services increases by the City of Cornwall, which provides land ambulance, long-term care, and social housing; along with the increases in the OPP policing contract. Only 1.77 per cent of the tax increase is due to services or capital projects taken on by the Counties themselves. Russell praised staff for keeping increases on their side to a minimum.
Shared services increases include additional staffing at Glen-Stor-Dun Lodge due to provincial legislation changes requiring the staff; and increased staffing for paramedic services to improve response times.
Adams cautioned council that a discussion about what is in reserves and what is being spent out of reserves should be held. Of the overall $87.5 million budget, 11 per cent is funded through reserves in 2025, and another eight per cent comes from Capital/Debt reserves.
The Counties’ transportation department makes up 51 per cent ($44.3 million) of the overall budget. The reconstruction of County Road 22 is the largest project on tap for that department at $6.6 million. Some of the funding for that project had been set aside in reserves during previous SDG budgets. The balance of the project will be paid for with financing, something the Counties normally does not do.
Nearly $12.7 Million in road resurfacing projects are planned, totalling 48.7 kilometres on nine different county roads, none of which are located in South Dundas.
Another half-million in micro-surfacing projects are planned, included a 4.3 kilometre section of County Road 1 between County Road 18 in Glen Stewart, north to Hulbert Road; and a 2.5 km section of CR 7 from CR31 east to Boucks Hill Road.
Another $4.9 Million in bridge work is planned including replacement of the CR 3 bridge in Inkerman. That project was delayed by a year to replace a bridge on CR 5 west of Winchester Springs. Another $1.2 million will go to repairing the CR 18 bridge in Lunenburg.
Capital purchases include $457K for a new snowplow, and $400K for six new pickup trucks.
The economic development department will add $30K to its budget to support doctor recruitment. Tourism added $15K for a part-time jail coordinator for the Historic SDG Jail project.
The planning department added $55K for a Geographical Information Services resource person to assist as GIS is more widely used in municipal asset management.
Outside grants to agencies was already under review. This includes funding for organizations like the Social Development Council of Cornwall and Area ($67K), and the United Way of SD&G’s Last Resort Fund ($130K).
During its budget process, Cornwall council ended its support of the United Way fund. It is not expected that SDG Council will approve funding for the United Way’s fund.
SDG Counties Council set aside only one day for budget deliberations. That meeting continued past publication deadline. The outcome of the deliberations will be in the December 11 print edition of The Leader.
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