WELLINGTON COUNTY – Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) allocations to local municipalities will decrease by a combined total of more than $100,000 next year.
A Nov. 29 staff report from treasurer Ken DeHart to Wellington County’s administration, finance and human resources committee shows the county and its seven member municipalities will receive $6,227,300 in 2023, down $109,900 from 2022.
The county itself will receive $787,400 through the program, which is the province’s primary general assistance grant to municipalities.
That’s $138,900 less than the $926,00 in funding provided in 2022.
Among lower tier municipalities:
- Centre Wellington’s allocation of $167,000 for 2023 is down $29,000 from 2022;
- Erin’s allocation will rise by exactly $6,000 to $600,800;
- Guelph/Eramosa will receive $462,200, $34,000 less than last year;
- Mapleton will get an additional $63,400, bringing its allocation to $938,600;
- Minto will receive $1,492,300, a drop of $33,200 from 2022;
- Puslinch will receive $423,200, $900 more than last year; and
- Wellington North will receive $1,335,900, up $55,300 from 2022.
DeHart’s report notes the OMPF consists of five components: assessment equalization, northern communities, rural communities, northern and rural fiscal circumstances, and transitional assistance.
The county’s 2023 OMPF funding amount is identified entirely under transitional assistance.
“It should be noted that all of the funding components (other than transitional) are now targeted towards single and lower-tier municipalities,” DeHart states in the report.
“The OMPF formula no longer targets any funding towards upper-tier municipalities and, as such, the county’s funding allocation can be anticipated to decline for the foreseeable future.”
The report points out OMPF funding to Wellington County and its member municipalities has dropped by a combined total of just over $4.9 million annually since 2012, when the province began a phase down of funding through the program.
“Some municipalities were down a little, some have got a little more,” said Wellington County councillor Chris White at the Dec. 1 meeting.
“As everybody knows a big chunk of that is based on your rural index and as you urbanize, like Fergus, your money goes down a little bit.
“In theory the OCIF (Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund) money that you do get is supposed to offset that. So we’ll continue to keep an eye on that.”
