GUELPH – Taxpayers in the county will see a 3.9 per cent increase to the county portion of their property taxes, after Wellington County council adopted its 2025 budget on Jan. 30.
The increase will mean an additional $27 per year for every $100,000 worth of assessed residential property value, councillor Earl Campbell told council during the Jan. 30 meeting.
“For 2025, the total tax levy requirement is $139,579,600,” said Campbell, chair of the county’s administration, finance and human resources committee.
He noted the tax impact of 3.9% is “down slightly” from the 4.1% that was proposed when council reviewed the budget in November.
The increase adopted has not changed from the one reviewed by council during a special meeting on Jan. 6.
Nonetheless, Campbell provided some reminders about what is included in the budget, starting with funding provided by the province to ease the burden of increased OPP contract costs.
Those increased costs were being felt by municipalities across the province, after legislation capping salary increases at 1% was overturned, and new collective agreements were ratified giving uniformed and civilian officers significantly higher increases.
Campbell emphasized that the relief provided by the province – which amounts to just over $2 million for 2025 – is one-time relief.
“That’s coming back to haunt us again next year,” he said, explaining the decision was made not to use the funds to reduce the tax levy, but to transfer $2 million to a reserve for the acquisition of land for ambulance stations.
“We’re leaving it within the emergency services environment, recognizing that it’s going to come back in 2026 budget,” said Campbell.
Other budget highlights he noted included continued investment in the Ride Well rural transit service, increased funding to the housing and homelessness system, and enhanced staffing at Wellington Terrace to “to provide more direct-care hours to residents,” he said.
He noted the last item is supported by funding from the province.
He also listed funding for a new Home Energy Efficiency Transition (HEET) program “that will provide capital loans to homeowners to make energy-efficiency upgrades to their homes,” as another highlight.
Campbell then returned briefly to the subject of land ambulance, pointing out the budget includes not just the transfer to reserves for land acquisition, but also an increase in the operating budget.
“That’s to do with the expansion of services and the overtime hours that they’ve been incurring,” he said.
Before council voted to adopt the budget, Erin Mayor Michael Dehn inquired about whether there would still be a “fulsome discussion” in the future about ambulances with the City of Guelph – which provides ambulance service for the county – before the $2 million is spent.
Warden Chris White replied the move to put the $2 million in provincial relief funding in a reserve does not necessarily mean a decision has been made about the county’s role in building ambulance stations.
“At the end of the day, what we’re doing in this budget is just putting $2 million in a reserve,” White said, noting doing so represents “no commitments.”
A news release from the county listed some other budget highlights, including:
- $44.3 million in roads capital infrastructure and public works facilities, including the construction of the new public works garage in Erin in 2025/26 and funding for the reconstruction of four bridges on Wellington Road 109 in Arthur over the next two years;
- facility upgrades at the Elora waste transfer station, providing similar infrastructure, working conditions and patron experience to the other four county waste facilities;
- $9.7 million in capital repairs and enhancements within the county’s social and affordable housing units;
- significant spending by the Government of Canada into the children’s early years department as a step towards more affordable child care for parents;
- provincial gas tax funding for the county’s Ride Well on-demand ride sharing service; and
- adoption of a diversion-centre model for waste facilities to divert more materials from landfill.
“As the impacts of inflation and rising costs continue to affect everyone, the county strives to balance affordability with the service needs of our growing community,” White stated in the release.
“The county has continued its approach of phasing in the rising costs of services through prudent long-term planning and financing.”
