Budget

2020 Budget

The 2020 budget schedule was approved by Council on May 13, 2019.  The objectives of the schedule are to:

• Seek budget approval from Council before the end of 2019. This allows the procurement process for 2020 budget items to begin early in January 2020, which provides a competitive advantage in seeking bids on tenders, proposals and quotations.
• Provide members of Council opportunities early in the process to provide overall direction on the budget as a whole as well as key impact areas.
• Allow for sufficient public consultation.
• Provide sufficient time for Township staff to properly develop and refine the draft budget

2020 Budget Process Schedule

June 3, 2019 - Committee of the Whole Meeting. 

This meeting allowed for discussion between Council and staff regarding the overall direction of the 2020 Budget.  Resolutions passed by Council will be used as the basis for initiating the budget creation process.

At this meeting, staff presented the 2020 Budget Directions Report.  The discussion sections included the following topics:

1. Inflation
2. Assessment Growth
3. Fees and Charges
4. OMPF Funding
5. Dedicated Capital Levy and OCIF Funding
6. Development Charges
7. Capital Funding
8. OLG Funds

Council approved staff to move forward with the preparation of the 2020 Draft Budget, with the following modifications from the originally presented 2020 Budget Direction Report: 

Section 1: That staff be directed to maintain a tax rate increase equal to or less than the calculated Township index (currently 2.7%) before adding on Dedicated Capital Levy impacts.

Section 2: That staff be directed to assume assessment growth equal to 2.5%, to be used to fund budget increases considered to be growth in nature, with assessment growth figures to be updated when actuals are provided in November.

Section 3: That staff be directed to increase fees and charges for 2020 by the Consumer Price Index (currently 1.8%), other than where pressure on rates indicates an alternate rate increase.

Section 4: That staff be directed to use an estimated OMPF allocation of $255,680, representing a 20% reduction from 2019, until actual allocation amounts are released by the Province.

Section 5: That staff be directed to increase the Dedicated Capital Levy by a compounding 2% increase of the base taxation levy for 2020 and that preliminary estimates for 2020 OCIF funding be maintained at 2019 funding levels.

Section 6: That staff be directed to include approximately $1,500,000 in growth related capital projects to be funded by development charges within each year of the Draft Ten Year Capital Forecast.

Section 7: That staff be directed to allocate the following funding to the Draft Budget as per Section 7 of report COR2019-44 dated June 3, 2019:
· $5,370,000 in combined General Capital Reserve, Federal Gas Tax, and OLG Funds.
· An increase in funding of $158,000 to the Equipment and Vehicle Replacement Reserves
· Allocations to the WSIB Reserve, Insurance Claims Reserve, Contingency Reserve, and Legal Matters Reserve as per the Township's funding targets in the Reserve Policy.

Section 8: This section was deferred to a future meeting.

September 9, 2019, 2 p.m. - Committee of the Whole Meeting.  

This meeting allows for a more detailed discussion between Council and Township staff regarding key/significant impact areas affecting the 2020 Budget (based on what is known as of late August 2019). Resolutions passed by Council will be used in developing and further refining the draft budget. In addition, budget delegations will be heard at this meeting, allowing members of the public to provide comments on budget development.

September/October
Budget Survey & Public Open House (Wednesday, October 2, 2019, location TBD)

A budget survey is proposed to be released to the public on September 13, 2019 and to be closed on October 11, 2019. This survey will be created to seek public input on key areas within the 2020 Budget. In addition, a budget public open house will take place on October 2, 2019. This open house allows for presentations as well as the providing of key information on the budget process, levels of service, and key areas affecting the 2020 Budget. The budget survey will be discussed and made available to participants of the open house. Input from both the budget survey and the open house will be used in developing the draft budget.

November 22, 2019 - The Draft Budget Book will be released to Council and members of the public.

2020 Budget Deliberations
Budget deliberations will take place on December 3 and December 5, 2019. Budget delegations will be heard at the December 3rd meeting, allowing for comments from members of the public on the draft budget. Staff are recommending skipping a day from the budget process (December 4th) to allow for preparation and follow-up of questions from December 3rd. A third budget deliberations day of December 9, 2019 is proposed, if needed.  Budget approval is proposed for the Council meeting on December 16, 2019.

2019 Budget 

Council has approved the 2019 Operating and Capital budgets, investing in the services that reflect the priorities of our residents and the future of Centre Wellington.  The 2019 proposed tax increase is 2.05% ($21.29) plus an increase to the bridge rebuilding levy equal to 2% ($20.76) for a total tax increase of 4.05% ($42.05) on the average assessment for a residential property of $372,746.

For the first time, the Township provided a 3-year operating forecast as part of the budget process. This forecast provided a high-level look at the Township’s anticipated tax-supported operating needs to 2021.

 2019 budget highlights:

• Long-term water supply strategy implementation – Phase I well optimization
• Long-term water supply strategy implementation – Phase II groundwater exploration
• Elora fire station renovation/expansion
• Rehabilitation of Fifth Line Bridge
• Pier repointing and lighting on the Victoria Street Pedestrian Bridge
• Replacement of Fourth Line Bridge
• Reconstruction of York and High Streets including underground services external to the Granwood development on the South-West side of Elora
• Feasibility study for an Indoor Training Facility
• Replacement of Splash Pad and play equipment and a new washroom in O’Brien Park
• Continuation of the multi-year pavement management program to replace small sections of pavement
• Installation of play equipment in Revell Park
• Replacement of the Fergus Wastewater Treatment Plant secondary digester roof

As the Township grows and extends current levels of service to these new areas, there will be a need for staffing levels to increase.  The following positions were approved in the 2019 budget; 6 Volunteer Firefighters, a part-time Customer Service Representative, a Legislated Services Coordinator and a part time Digital Media Associate for Elora Fergus Tourism. 

The 2% bridge rebuilding levy has helped to rehabilitate or reconstruct 9 bridges in the last term of Council and is projected to rehabilitate or reconstruct 12 additional bridges in this term of Council (2018-2022). In addition the planning and approval process for these bridges is funded from the capital levy. In 2019 the following bridges will be reconstructed or rehabilitated at an estimated costs of $2.17 million;

• Fourth Line bridge in former Pilkington will be replaced

• Fifth Line bridge in former Eramosa will be rehabilitated

• Victoria Street Pedestrian Bridge in Elora will have the piers repointed and new lighting

• Design and approvals for the following bridges to be implemented in 2020

  • Sideroad 4 bridge in former Pilkington will be rehabilitated

  • First line bridge in former West Garafraxa will be rehabilitated

  • Third Line bridge in former Pilkington will be replaced

  • Middlebrook Place Boundary Road Culvert will be replaced. This is a joint project with the Township of Woolwich

  • Environmental Assessments for two bowstring bridges on First Line and Fifth Line in West Garafraxa are underway

Township of Centre Wellington 2019 Budget Document

Do you know where your tax dollars go?

The Township collects the taxes for the County of Wellington and the Province of Ontario (Education Taxes).  They are broken down in the following way:

Historical Budget Documents (Past 5 Years)

Township of Centre Wellington 2018 Budget Document

Township of Centre Wellington 2017 Budget Document

Township of Centre Wellington 2016 Budget Document

Township of Centre Wellington 2015 Budget Document

Township of Centre Wellington 2014 Budget Document