Reports, Studies and Plans

The 2025 Draft Budget focuses on planning for growth and sustainable future planning. 

On Monday, December 16, 2024 the Township Council approved the 2025 Budget, which includes a 3.49% increase in the Township portion of the property tax rate. The 2025 budget passage will result in an increase of approximately $50 on the local portion of the tax bill for the average assessed residential property within the Township, or $4.17 per month, to support the continued delivery of essential programs, services, and investment in critical infrastructure for residents.

The 2025 budget carefully balances fiscal responsibility with strategic investments in essential services and infrastructure. Significant funding has been designated for initiatives such as:

• Increased asset investment as outlined in the Township’s Asset Management Plan
• Termite Management Subsidy Program Implementation
• Fergus Wastewater Treatment Plant (Primary Digester Maintenance and Roof Rehabilitation Design)
• Second Line (WR19 to 500 metres north of WR18) Asphalt Resurfacing
• Hill Street (Herrick to Gartshore) Reconstruction
• Colborne Street (Beatty Line to 120 metres west of Storybrook Subdivision) Reconstruction
• Colborne Street (John to Wilson) Reconstruction
• Downtown Fergus Streetlight Replacement
• Fire Master Plan Update

Quick Facts

• The 2025 Average Residential Tax Bill Breakdown is as follows:
• Education 12%
• Township of Centre Wellington, 31%
• County of Wellington, 57%

2025 Draft Budget 

In 2024, staff created the 2025 Business Plan, approved by Council during 2025 Budget deliberations. 

The Business Plan links the Strategic Plan to the annual budget.  It ensures that the funding, resources, and staffing required for the staff initiatives recommended are incorporated into the annual Budget.

A mid-year review on Business Plan progress will be reported to Council in 2025. The Business Plan is the platform through which staff will report to Council and the community on progress. The Township will continue to refine and mature its performance measurement and management system and create tools to improve where and how decisions are made across the organization.

The business plan focuses on initiatives that are above and beyond the core services delivered to the community as part of the day-to-day operations of the Township. The long list of recommended initiatives for 2025 helps to demonstrate the scope, complexity, and volume of work managed through the organization in serving the Township of Centre Wellington.

2025 Business Plan

2024 Business Plan

The Active Transportation and Mobility Plan (ATMP) will help shape the future of the Township's on and off-road active transportation and mobility network to 2051. This Plan will guide the planning, budgeting, and growth of physical and social infrastructure to support walking, cycling, and rolling within Centre Wellington. This Plan will help our community reach the strategic goals of the Township and the County in building healthy, sustainable, and complete communities. 

Please note: The Active Transportation and Mobility Plan final document has been split into three parts (links below) due to file size. 

Centre Wellington Active Transportation and Mobility Plan - Final July2025_Part One

Centre Wellington Active Transportation and Mobility Plan - Final July2025_Part Two

Centre Wellington Active Transportation and Mobility Plan - Final July2025_Part Three

The “Asset Management Strategy” provides a long term operating and capital forecast for asset related costs, indicating the requirements for maintaining, rehabilitating, replacing/disposing and expanding the Township's assets, while moving towards the specified expected levels of service. The goal of the asset management strategy is to have the Township in (or moving towards) a sustainable asset management position over the forecast period.

View the Township's current Strategic Asset Management Policy

Learn more about the Township's 2022 Asset Management Plan

The Strategic Plan declares what Council is trying to achieve, and invites residents, businesses and community organizations to get on board and help Council to achieve its objectives. It makes transparent not only what services and assets are desirable but also the financial obstacles to potentially expanding services and infrastructure. As each new term of Council begins, Council and staff review the key priorities and initiatives that will guide the Township's work plan for the coming four years.

Council approved the 2023 - 2026 Strategic Plan, a comprehensive plan for this term of Council and beyond. It was a collaborative approach with Council and staff, that involved numerous stakeholder sessions, surveys, and Council workshops/ The Council approved goals are:

Goal One: Create the Conditions for Economic Prosperity
Goal Two: Improve the Activity, Health and Wellness of our Community
Goal Three: Managing Growth while Enhancing the Community's Unique Character
Goal Four: Championing Environmental Stewardship
Goal Five: Provide Innovative in Sustainable Governance

Learn more about the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan here

The Parks & Recreation Master Plan will provide a roadmap to enhance and grow the Township's parks and recreation facilities and services for residents, user groups, and visitors now and into the future. These plans will guide decision-making across all aspects of parks and recreation, from playgrounds to facilities and everything in between. Ensuring key priorities set out in the Township's 2023-2026 Strategic Plan will be the overarching document for these plans. 

Centre Wellington Parks and Recreation Master Plan - July 2025

This report presents the five-year (2025-2029) corporate energy conservation and demand management plan (ECDMP) for the Township of Centre Wellington as required by Ontario Regulation 397/11, made under the Green Energy Act, 2009. A comprehensive planning process was undertaken to prepare the ECDMP. The ECDMP is composed of two parts:

1. A summary of the public agency’s annual energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for its operation, and
2. A description of previous, current and proposed measures for conserving energy, reducing energy consumption and managing energy demand, including a forecast of the expected
results of the current and proposed measures.

View the Township's Energy Conservation Demand Management Plan

Emergencies can happen at any time. The Emergency Plan sets out a plan of action to provide the earliest possible response.

Community Exercise

The plan is tested and updated annually through a community exercise. The exercise is design to do the following:

• Test Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) and Emergency Plan
• Improve communications, cooperation and collaboration
• Learn and practice using emergency event management software
• Meet requirements of the Emergency Management Act
• Build skills and confidence of staff and volunteers by training them in their roles

View the Township's Emergency Response Plan

The Township retained the services of Dillon Consulting Limited to develop a Master Fire Plan for Centre Wellington in 2017. The plan identified future requirements in the short term (1-3 years), medium term (4-6 years) and long term (7-10 years) based upon growth, trends, regulatory requirements and financial capabilities of the Township.  This plan will set the foundation for strategic decision making for the provision of fire and rescue services in Centre Wellington.

The Plan also identified fire risks and hazards, fire protection capabilities, public education, fire risk reductions and management, community preparedness and response, and funding and fiscal measures relating to fire protection with the purpose to formulate and plan for implementation of strategies for deficiencies which exist or may develop.

The Plan provided the Township of Centre Wellington with a systematic and comprehensive approach to evaluating risk and existing capabilities within the municipality and its fire department for the next 10 years.  It will also assist in the formulation and communication of the future direction and highlighting opportunities for optimizing service delivery. 

View the Township's Fire Master Plan

The official plan of the Township of Centre Wellington, is a policy document that sets out the Township's vision on how land should be used. The Township of Centre Wellington's Official Plan only applies to the Elora and Fergus Urban Centres, including Salem and Belwood. All other areas of the Township are governed by the County of Wellington's Official Plan.

Parks, recreation and culture facilities, programs, and services play an important role in Centre Wellington and in the lives of our residents. To provide direction for these important community assets over the next ten years, the Township of Centre Wellington is updating its Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan. This process will provide the Township with up-to-date insight on community needs and effective ways to deliver services, programs and more.

View the Final Parks, Recreation & Culture Master Plan

Building on the success of the Elora Cataract Trail, the Township has created a Trails Master Plan which explores the trails and open spaces in the township and their uses. 

The Township has developed a long-range transportation master plan to improve how all modes (walking, cycling, driving, etc.) move in and around the Township! The plan was endorsed by Township Council on May 27, 2019. The plan builds upon work previously completed by the Township including the Official Plan, Strategic Plan and Trails Master Plan as well as past transportation related initiatives.

View the Township's Transportation Master Plan

What's involved in the Water Supply Master Plan?

Estimate Demand

We are planning for the anticipated growth in CW to 2041. This means we will be providing safe and reliable water to more residential, industrial, commercial and institutional customers in our urban centres.

Determine Need

The amount of water the Township's current water supply system can provide will be reviewed for various scenarios including the potential impact of climate change, and compared to the estimated future demand for water. This will determine how much additional water supply is needed.

Identify and Evaluate Alternatives

In addition to considering water conservation and demand management, we will be development and evaluating alternatives for additional supplies, including optimization of existing wells and development new supply opportunities.

Learn more about the Water Supply Master Plan

The Township retained R.J. Burnside and Associates to develop a Municipal Parking Strategy. The goal of the strategy focused specifically on the downtown areas in Elora and Fergus, and made recommendations related to the location and supply of parking, financial aspects of parking operation, parking standard and policies, and an implementation plan that supported the vision for the downtowns to be vibrant, visible, innovative, walkable, and accessible destinations that offer unique opportunities and experiences for all people.

View the Municipal Downtown Parking Strategy Final Report 

The Township of Centre Wellington is undertaking its first Water and Wastewater Servicing Master Plan. The main objectives of this plan is to provide the Township with an understanding of how the existing water and wastewater networks are functioning, identify current and future capacity constraints, evaluate opportunities to increase system capacity and inform short and long-range planning to maintain or improve levels of service and accommodate future growth in the Township.

View the Water and Wastewater Servicing Master Plan

For more information on this project, click here

Council recieved the Draft Active Transportation and Mobility Plan for consideration on Monday, June 16.