WELLINGTON COUNTY — A call by Coun. Mary Lloyd to lower the County of Wellington annual tax increase to two per cent has not replaced the proposed increase of 3.8 per cent.
At the county meeting on Thursday, the council will have the opportunity to vote to adopt the budget for 2023.
Lloyd made the suggestion to lower the tax increase to two per cent at the Dec. 1 county council meeting.
Coun. Chris White confirmed on Monday that the current suggested increase in taxes for the county remains at 3.8 per cent.
"At this point the budget is still sitting at 3.8," White said.
White explained that there is a concerted effort to get the budget right.
"Hope to make suggestions all the way through as we try to improve the budget," White said.
There were some last minute, costly items to work into the budget.
"But there was a couple of items we received late. So even if there had been some movement we found out about the development charges impact and some cuts in provincial funding.
"So as of this point, the budget is at 3.8 and we’ll be looking at passing that on Thursday. So we’ll see what council decides," White said.
It would mean a property tax increase of $24 per $100,000 worth of assessment.
In 2022, the county adopted a budget with an increase of two per cent.
The 2024 estimated tax increase is 3.6 per cent.
Lloyd still wants to cap the tax increase at two per cent.
"I will remind my fellow councillors that I asked to set the increase max of 2%," Lloyd wrote in an email.
Jesse Gault is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
