Adding a 12-hour paramedic crew and ambulance, sustaining homelessness and housing supports, and completing 134 kilometres of road work are three expenditures in Northumberland County’s recently approved budget.
On Wednesday (December 14), Northumberland County council passed its first-ever multi-year budget, spanning 2024 through 2026. Aligned with Northumberland’s 2023-2027 community strategic plan, the county said the budget prioritizes investments in services, housing, and infrastructure that enables growth.
“This will enable us to align short-term decisions with long-term strategies,” said Northumberland County Warden Brian Ostrander in a news release. “In so doing, we are ensuring stronger financial management that will better enable the county to anticipate needs, allocate resources efficiently, and prevent unexpected shortfalls.”
The county’s budget process begins in June of each year, when council establishes a target levy increase around which staff are directed to build the following year’s budget. The target for the years 2024 through 2026 was set at four per cent.
Staff began presenting budget overviews for each department at committee meetings starting in September. Consolidation of department budgets into an overarching budget for the organization took place in the fall, during which time staff began refining the budget to align with the target levy increase directed by council.
Council received the final draft budget in late November, followed by a full-day meeting for review and deliberation earlier this month.
During its Wednesday meeting, council approved a base levy increase, after growth, of 4.57 per cent for 2024, which sustains current levels of service and reinforces essential programs, amid inflationary pressures, the county said in a news release.
The following percentages are the estimated impacts on taxes, after growth, for 2024 through 2026 that encompass both the base levy increase and dedicated infrastructure levies: 6.57 per cent for 2024, 8.64 per cent for 2025, and 8.86 per cent for 2026.
For 2024, the owner of a median-assessed home in Northumberland can anticipate paying $1,463.28, based on an estimated $91.45 increase on the county portion of their property taxes. This is subject to adjustments in 2024 based on tax policy and information from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.
Highlights of the budget include:
- Sustained funding for homelessness supports and emergency shelter services
- The addition of a 12-hour paramedic crew and ambulance in response to escalating demand for paramedic emergency response services, along with development of a new Brighton emergency services base in partnership with the lower-tier municipality
- Continued efforts to integrate the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system for subsidized child care into the local system, and to expand availability of child-care spaces
- Extension of the pilot regional transit program
- Advancement of the public-private partnership to deliver high-speed internet to all communities and businesses
- Continuation of infrastructure projects including the Golden Plough Lodge and Northumberland County Archives and Museum and affordable housing developments in Cobourg
- Completion of 134 kilometres of road resurfacing and paving in the county and work on several major bridge projects
- Work with stakeholders throughout 2024 to finalize a greenhouse gas reduction plan, and begin work on a climate adaptation and resiliency plan.
During the final budget discussions, deputy warden Olena Hankivsky (who is also Municipality of Port Hope mayor) proposed an initiative involving a public-private partnership to support people who have mental health challenges and addiction issues.
“The bottom line is, if you are suffering from a complex combination of mental health and substance use there is no accessible, low-barrier residential day program for you to work on that in a structured and focused way, and have an opportunity for improvement and for recovery,” Hankivsky said during the meeting.
As a result, council approved an investment of $241,000 for a six-month pilot addiction treatment program, which includes beds for people needing support.
Ostrander said the overall budget and final direction “was shaped by feedback from the community, received through extensive public engagement efforts throughout this past year.”
“We believe we have arrived at a long-term budget that addresses community needs while ensuring each dollar is invested responsibly and wisely.”
With the three-year budget now in place, the county said there will be annual reviews to make changes as necessary.
