ELORA – Centre Wellington council passed its first anniversary in November and its second budget in December – the biggest tax increase in the township’s history.
It’s not lost on Mayor Shawn Watters that a 7.38% increase means almost $100 more on the township portion of the property tax bill for homeowners.
That will be difficult for many residents, who are already having a tough time making ends meet thanks to inflation.
“I’ve heard from folks. They’ve sent me emails, and they’ve indicated that it is tough. And I know that,” Watters said.
“I sometimes have a hard time sleeping at night because I do take this seriously. I think about it all the time.”
Watters sat down with the Advertiser to talk about his first year in office, the first year of the all-new council, and the task at hand for the council he says will be known as the “planning council.”
Formative decisions
With marching orders from the province for the township to double in population by 2051, this council will make lasting, formative decisions on residential and industrial development proposals, vehicle and active transportation routes, master plans that will inform parks and recreation, economic development and tourism, while financing it all in a sustainable way.
Taking the hit on taxes this year means lower tax increases in the years ahead, Watters said, noting forecasts indicate a tax increase of less than 5% in 2025 and declining rates in subsequent years.
People want service levels maintained, roads and bridges to be repaired and infrastructure in good repair. Add more roads to plow, more water and wastewater to pump and costs can’t help but rise.
“You’ll notice that some communities have gone into reserves to keep their budgets lower,” Watters said.
“You have to find the sweet spot that way or it comes back to bite you.”
Watters said when he was an Elora councillor (prior to amalgamation) council of the day was pretty pleased to come in with zero-increase budgets for several years running.
“But we’re still paying for those zero increases now because of repairs to infrastructure … If you don’t plan properly, and you don’t have proper input that way, you’ll be paying for that forever,” he said.
Maintaining infrastructure, meeting contractual obligations to staff, meeting provincial legislation and dealing with inflation are costs the township can do nothing about.
“It’s been a really challenging budget cycle this year, to still be able to accommodate growth and all the things that we need to do. This year, we knew that was going to be a tough, tough one,” he said.
The year itself has been a whirlwind that included a lot of learning, a lot of listening, and a lot of being present and available to residents, he said.
Watters said he attended 125 events since becoming mayor of Centre Wellington, on top of council and county council meetings.
“It was important for me to sort of get out in the community. So, I never said no. I literally went to everything,” he said, noting this year he hopes to share some duties with the deputy mayor.
His proudest accomplishment has been getting his council to work well together – a refreshing change after the previous council that many called dysfunctional.
“People seem happy the new council is working together,” Watters said.
“We’ve had good conversations, and they ask good questions. It’s very collegial. That makes me proud.”
Their common vision is spelled out in the strategic plan:
- create the conditions for economic prosperity;
- improve the activity, health and wellness of our community;
- manage growth while enhancing the community’s unique character;
- champion environmental stewardship; and
- provide innovative and sustainable governance.
To that end, the budget includes funding for an active transportation and mobility master plan, an economic development and tourism strategic plan and a parks and recreation master plan and parkland strategy.
“These things become more difficult to do as we become more urbanized. And if there’s an opportunity to do these things, with financial participation from the various levels of government, why wouldn’t you do that?” he asked.
“In 10 or 20 years, we’ll be glad we did these things.”
Expanding boundary
Watters said the urban boundary of Centre Wellington will need to expand by 1,000 acres by 2051 to accommodate jobs and housing and that will eat up some farmland, something he’s reluctant to do.
That’s why he went against the grain and voted against writing a letter of support for a battery storage operation on prime agricultural land just outside Fergus.
“The agricultural piece is always very important for me,” he said, explaining his reason for his “no” vote.
The facilities are new, there is not a lot of information about how these sites will work and what they may do to the environment, he added.
And the land is to be leased for 21 years.
“What happens in 20 years from now? Is that it? Is it over? Or are we going to need more battery storage? I don’t think anyone really has a really good handle on what this is,” Watters said.
“What council as a whole did (in writing a letter of support), is they’ve moved this question down the road a little bit. It doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen; it just means that it’s going to get further consideration. And so, I don’t think we’ve seen the end of this.”
Watters, along with township staff, is pressuring the Ministry of Transportation and Wellington County to come to the table to discuss a Highway 6 bypass around Fergus.
Highway 6 bypass
With development pending – and looming – the time is now to locate the trucking route where it doesn’t conflict with nature, existing residential development or heritage sites.
“Congestion is beginning to increase,” Watters said. “And that includes walking and bikes and all that kind of stuff.
“And we need to figure out how we move transports around the community a little better, because we’re going to have these conflicts that weigh in.”
While the responsibility is great and the consequences of getting these decisions wrong are even greater, Watters has an optimistic view of the future.
“Council really moved the needle on housing this year,” he said, adding there will be more building approvals to come.
“We’re moving from a town to a small city. And we’re figuring out what that will look like.”
