WELLINGTON COUNTY- County council has approved a 2020 budget with a 3.3% increase to county taxes.
The increase, approved at council’s Jan. 30 meeting, takes the county’s total levy for the coming year over the $100 million mark, to $105,642,800, an increase of $5,901,000 over the budgeted 2019 levy of $99,741,800.
For residential ratepayers, the tax impact is an additional $20 per $100,000 of assessment.
The budget calls for total 2020 spending of $229,815,000 against revenues of $124,172,200.
The budget includes capital spending of $38,811,200 in 2020, with the largest share, more than $27 million, devoted to road projects. Projects related to housing services, at roughly $4.9 million, will account for the second largest share of capital spending, followed by solid waste services at nearly $2.4 million.
Salaries and benefits, at $64,773,000, are up more than $4 million from the $60,109,800 budgeted in 2019. Included in that total is compensation for the equivalent of 10.4 additional full-time child care positions, 9.6 additional positions in long-term care and additional positions in the office of the CAO/clerk and economic development departments.
The economic development addition is the position of Smart Cities Project Coordinator, who will facilitate activities related to the joint Wellington County/City of Guelph Smart Cities circular food economy initiative. Across all departments, the county will add a total of 25.5 full-time equivalent positions in 2020.
Key projects
Among the key projects and initiatives funded in the budget are:
– new and enhanced curbside solid waste services, including standardized weekly organics and recycling collection;
– additional resources to address provincial requirements for asset management for both the county and its member municipalities, and
– additional resources at Wellington Terrace Long-Term Care Home to provide improved resident care;
– the 2020 allocation of an additional $6.3 million for the replacement of the Badley Bridge in Elora, $3.3 million for continued work on Wellington Road 46 through Puslinch, and the initiation of a transportation master plan to identify priorities and inform future budgets;
– planning for the closure of Phase I and opening of Phase II at the Riverstown Landfill;
– increased investment in improvements to county-owned social and affordable housing units to address increasing costs and needs; and
– continuing a partnership with the Community Mental Health Association of Waterloo-Wellington and County of Wellington OPP aimed at suicide prevention.
Also included in the budget are a full year of the new Ride Well community transportation initiative, at a net cost of $192,600.
Economic development committee chair George Bridge noted the project’s budget was trimmed by about $30,000 by reducing the number of cars available during certain time periods, in response to lower-than-anticipated ridership numbers. However, he pointed out, January’s ridership numbers showed a sharp increase from the initial uptake on the fledgling project, which launched Oct. 1.
Continuum of Care
The budget includes a $1 million transfer to the Wellington Terrace capital reserve for the proposed Continuum of Care project. The funds are set aside to be used in the event that council decides to move forward with the project.
Councillor Mary Lloyd, who chairs the county’s information, heritage and seniors committee, said a “fulsome report” on the project will be coming this spring.
“We’ve been assured by our architectural firm that we will have as draft report ready for committee review by the end of March.”
The county has already spent about $1 million on preliminary investigation of the continuum concept, an $88-million seniors community proposed for land at Wellington Place.
Councillor Chris White, who chaired the Jan. 30 meeting that Warden Kelly Linton missed due to illness, noted the project is designed to be revenue-neutral over the long-term.
“In the long run the intention here is to not take any money out of roads and bridges. We’re going to put that money in temporarily to get that project moving,” but it would be returned to county coffers as revenue is generated, White explained.
White also pointed out the $1 million being placed in reserves is contingent on the project ultimately being approved.
“If the project does not move ahead, that million will be immediately put back into infrastructure projects,” he explained.
Councillor Campbell Cork questioned an allocation in the 10-year plan for rebuilding at the administration centre in Guelph.
“We’ve never made a decision on that, whether it will be here or whether we will repatriate our capital to our own county,” said Cork. “I would like to see reference to Guelph removed from that administrative rethink until such time as we make a decision one way or another.”
White suggested the wording change could be considered at the committee level after the budget is approved.
However, CAO Scott Wilson said the funds in the plan aren’t actually earmarked for the county’s main administrative centre on Woolwich Street in Guelph.
“The money that’s in the ten-year plan is not to replace where we’re in. It’s to tear down the building that’s now housing IT and replace it with underground parking. It’s not to replace what we currently have,” Wilson explained.
Higher increases projected
Councillor Andy Lennox expressed concern that the 10-year plan includes “higher increases in taxes than our residents can stand.”
The 10-year operating budget forecast projects tax increases ranging from 3.8 to 4.3% over the coming decade.
“To me, that’s going to force us to make some choices … perhaps we need to consider .. some changes to the way we go about making these kind of decisions and make some sort of decision as a collective rather than at committee,” Lennox added.
White replied, “The projections that we always had have always been higher than what we come in at. That’s sort of standard there.
“Good point, but that’s the way that’s normally done,” added White, who suggested council could at some point have “a more fulsome 10-year plan discussion that would cover a bunch of this stuff.”
Factors in levy increase
White noted the 3.3% tax increase largely results from several elements.
He explained the largest change, 1.2%, is for enhanced solid waste services.
“Organic pickup, (pickup on) both sides of the road, something that the pubic is looking for in the surveys, something that was supported here, and of course we have the yard waste pickup, which is fantastic.”
White added, “The second part is the provincial funding changes or cuts to the Early Years and the OMPF – shrinks even as we speak – that’s .5 per cent.”
Added staff for improved resident care at Wellington Terrace, funds to replace rural addressing signage, increased expenditures on asset management and county contributions to hospital capital projects also factor into the tax increase, White added.
“So I think it’s a good budget. It’s a strong budget. It’s adding some services that we need. We’re continuing to invest in our roads and bridges … it’s a steady-as-you-go budget.”
A resolution to approve the 2020 budget passed unopposed.
A separate resolution on the salary portion of the budget was also approved unopposed, with White declaring a conflict because he has a relative employed by the county.
“County council has passed a responsible budget of investment and service enhancements for 2020,” Warden Kelly Linton stated in a press release issued following the Jan. 30 meeting.
“Our expenditures are directly aligned with our Strategic Action Plan and provide a financial plan and framework for the county’s top priorities.
“We will continue to focus on enhancing core services for all of or residents, while making important investments in infrastructure, waste collection, health care, transportation and social services.”
