SDG Counties budget lands at a 4.48 per cent tax increase

CORNWALL – SDG Counties has opted for a higher-than-initially planned budget for 2026, which will translate into a 4.48 per cent tax increase.

The budget, which council discussed at length at a special meeting held on December 2, added in a two-year contribution to South Stormont for road rehabilitation.

Council amended the draft spending plan, cutting funding for the Social Development Council of Cornwall and Area to just $1,000 for the year, specifically for its Regional Emergency Response Council. The agency recently entered into an operational partnership with the Eastern Ontario Training Board. An additional $4,000 will be available for the organization to apply for grants for Counties-specific events. SDGCA asked for $36,000 in 2026, it received $55,000 from council in 2025.

A regional waste management study estimated to cost $60,000 was removed from the budget, with council agreeing that staff at the six lower-tier municipalities should have the required expertise already in place should waste management issues need to be studied.

Councillor Marc St. Pierre (South Dundas) suggested a proposed increase to the Regional Incentives Program be nixed. That would have added $25,000 to the usual $250,000 per year the program receives. St. Pierre argued each year the fund has approved projects that do not go ahead, so there is usually money left over that needs to be spent.

Council added to the budget $15,000 for the St. Lawrence River Institute that is in addition to their usual funding. The money is towards a capital project at the SLRI.

With the planned logistics park in Long Sault, the designation for County Road 36 will change once a connector road is completed. South Stormont asked and received a commitment for $212,500 per year for two years for rehabilitating the portion of CR 36 that will get downloaded to that township. The road was last repaved in 2015 and is considered in good condition. Typically in a road download situation, the upper tier municipality will bring the road to be downloaded into like-new condition.

Council debated the use of reserves for specific projects, including the pending Alexandria “Street-Scape” project that has been delayed for several years.

Councillors Jamie MacDonald and Carma Williams (both North Glengarry) were concerned future delays would upset residents. The discussion resulted in a loose direction of establishing a reserve fund to pay for large projects like the Alexandria project, or the recently completed rebuild of CR 22. At a previous meeting, council agreed to raid the Now-Needs Roads reserve, and use any construction surplus this year to avoid financing the reconstruction cost of CR 22. That is despite direction from the 2025 budget to borrow for the road project and use the Now-Needs Roads reserve as intended.

While some members of council were comfortable with establishing a major projects reserve of some type in this budget, no action to do so was taken. Counties CAO Maureen Adams advised it would be a good way for councils to continue to put away funds for future projects while also getting used to the possibility of having finance payments to make — should council choose to borrow for the first time in the 175-plus year history of the United Counties.

The amended budget results in an increase to residential taxpayers of $29.99 per $100,000 of assessed property value. Once lower-tier municipal budgets are passed, the rate will be blended on tax bills. So far, South Stormont has settled on a 5.69 per cent increase, South Dundas a 3.71 per cent increase, and South Glengarry a 4.3 per cent increase, if those draft budgets are passed.

There were no changes to planned transportation projects for 2026, including 44 kilometres of road repaving in North Dundas and South Dundas, the Cass Bridge, and a joint bridge project with Leeds-Grenville.

Equipment spending was unchanged, despite a discussion on the merits of purchasing a wood-chipper budgeted at $130,000. Equipment spending is up nearly $1 million from 2025.

The draft budget is not yet set in stone and could still be amended between now and its final passage at a regular meeting of SDG Council in early 2026.