North Huron Council passes budget with tax rate increase just over three per cent

BY SCOTT STEPHENSON

On March 17, North Huron held a mandatory public meeting as one of the last steps in the finalization of its 2025 budget. No members of the public chose to attend the meeting, and council voted to approve the final draft of the budget as it was presented. 

 

The first and final drafts of the budget were both prepared by Interim Treasurer Annette Fletcher, who is on loan from the County of Huron until North Huron’s budget process is complete. While council requested very few alterations be made between her first and final drafts, there was one small change: the elimination of $3,000 from the budget that had previously been set aside for the now-defunct Alice Munro Festival of the Short Story. This move has, in turn, reduced the 2025 tax levy increase from 3.15 per cent to 3.11 per cent.

 

With a tax levy increase of 3.11 per cent, the total amount of projected revenue expected through property taxation is $7,742,348.28, which is $233,423.93 more than 2024.

 

There are 23 capital projects slated to move ahead in 2025, with a total budget of $2,105,413. Of that total, $1,116,300 will be paid through taxation, with the rest coming from grants, government funding, and transfers from reserves.

 

Councillor Chris Palmer raised objections to what he felt was an excessive proposed budget for Economic Development, as well as the expediency with which this year’s budget has been brought about. “I felt rushed with this process,” he explained. “Staff did an excellent job of bringing things together for us to see last month, for our one meeting. Other than that, we didn’t see anything… I think we should have had a quick clean-up meeting. I think I would have felt a lot better about that.”

 

Palmer also wanted to know why the 2024 actuals were not included in the final budget. Fletcher responded, saying that those numbers are not yet available. “They won’t be finalized until they have gone through the audit process,” she explained. “It was also replicating past practice, where the actuals at that point in time hadn’t been put in… once they’re audited, then we can publish those as well.”

 

Palmer’s primary point was that the proposed budget for Economic Development could have been leaner. “I still feel that something more should have been done,” he lamented. In his opinion, it was the only department that didn’t work to trim the fat for its 2025 budget. “All the other departments really worked hard at that,” he said.

 

He expressed that part of the problem is the recently-expanded role of the department. “It’s supposed to collect taxes, property assessments… that’s what its function was. That’s why we entered into Economic Development in the first place. Now, I just look at it, and I see its sole purpose seems to be managing projects. And that doesn’t bring in money. That doesn’t bring in taxes, and that’s what our citizens need. So that’s my biggest beef about it.”

 

He also suggested that at least some of the money slated to go to Economic Development would perhaps be better spent in another department, like Asset Management. “It’s a lot of money,” he pointed out. “It’s actually $414,000, when you take the $65,000 of reserves that I don’t feel should be in there. It should be used elsewhere, or saved… it could do some really good things.” 

 

Deputy-Reeve Kevin Falconer praised the efforts of staff in bringing the budget together so efficiently. “I have no qualms. I think Economic Development is doing a fantastic job. It was brought forward at a previous meeting that some of the numbers that are in that budget really have nothing to do with the Economic Development total at the end - it just happened to be the place that those numbers were tallied as far as the budget goes.” Items included in North Huron’s 2025 budget for Economic Development include $25,000 for the removal of the hedgerow at Hutton Heights, $7,000 for volunteer appreciation, and $46,500 for various special projects.

 

Falconer moved to accept the final draft budget as is, which was seconded by Councillor Mitch Wright, passing unanimously.