CENTRE WELLINGTON – Township staff, councillors and the mayor himself are coming to terms with a new budget process now that Mayor Shawn Watters has been granted strong mayor powers by the province.
Centre Wellington received strong mayor powers on May 1 and is now one of 215 municipalities in the province with them.
Among the mayor’s legislated duties is to prepare and propose the municipal budget – it cannot be delegated to council or staff.
“However, the mayor may issue a mayoral direction to staff regarding the preparation of the budget,” states the report from treasurer Adam McNabb that was presented at the June 16 council meeting.
That said, McNabb had prepared a budget recommendations report for 2026 that outlined the financial picture of the township and some of the constraints it will have to operate within in 2026. They include:
- inflation is sitting at 2.5 per cent;
- the township needs to increase its contribution to the asset management plan by 2%;
- assume assessment growth is 2.5%;
- increase fees and charges by 2.5%;
- understand that the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF), the Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF) and Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) funds the township receives are decreasing year over year; and
- allocate 2% of the funds collected from OLG to the termite management strategy.
The draft pre-budget report proposes to maintain a three-year average of $1.9 million in development charges (DC) capital funding and to contribute $1.4 million to the general capital reserve.
It also proposes to maintain a minimum balance of $1.25 million in the general capital reserve.
According to the strong mayor powers, the timeline for discussion on the budget is different as well.
After the mayor proposes the budget, council has 30 days to offer amendments and the mayor has 10 days after that to veto any amendments.
Fifteen days after that, council can override the mayor’s veto but it requires a two-thirds majority of council, including the mayor’s vote.
The timeline proposed by staff is for council to discuss the preliminary staff capital budget recommendations on Sept. 15; for Watters to give staff direction on budget on Oct. 27; and for council to discuss budget amendments on Nov. 24.
A committee of the whole meeting is slated for Dec. 2 and 4 for council to make amendments and Dec. 6 is the deadline for Watters to veto amendments if he chooses.
Dec. 15 is when council can discuss the mayor’s vetoes if there are any and Dec. 21 is when council can override the mayor’s vetoes of amendments if they choose.
The hope is that the budget will pass on Dec. 21.
Given that schedule and the limited opportunity for council to talk in open chambers about the budget, councillor Bronwynne Wilton asked if council could discuss the budget at its July 14 meeting.
She also wondered when or if public consultation fits in the new timetable.
Watters assured council that although there is new language and a new way of doing things, he wanted to continue with the same collaboration and cooperation council has practiced throughout its term.
“In the end it is done the same way,” he said. “I want to do it in a way that is respectful.”
“I hope the discussion will be open and transparent,” Wilton said as council voted in favour of adding a budget discussion to the July 14 meeting.
“I agree,” Watters said.
