County council approves 3.6% tax increase

GUELPH – Wellington County has officially approved its 2026 budget, including a 3.6 per cent tax increase – 0.1% higher than proposed earlier this month.

That means the average county homeowner will pay $742 per $100,000 in assessment this year – up $26 from 2025.

The budget, approved by council on Jan. 29, includes a revised tax levy requirement of $148.6 million and a 10-year capital plan totalling $686.6 million.

"Only one committee made a change [and] that was social services," said councillor Earl Campbell, chair of the administration, finance and human resources committee.

Earlier this month, the joint county-Guelph social services committee approved a monthly cap of 20 new households to receive rent support, up from a previous cap of 10, which added an additional $110,000 to the budget.

The county plans to spend $78.6 million this year on capital projects.

The roads department accounts for $58.3 million, social and affordable housing $6.9 million and ambulance services $3.67 million.

Big ticket capital projects include:

• $18.4 million for a new Erin works garage;
• $16 million for road construction;
• $14.5 million for bridge and culvert replacement/rehabilitation work;
• $6.9 million in repairs/enhancements in social and affordable housing units; and
• $2.57 million for a rooftop HVAC replacement at the Wellington Terrace Long-Term Care Home in Aboyne.

The county plans to cover the 2026 capital budget with reserves, subsidies, provincial and federal funding, and development charges.

The approved operating budget totals $387.8 million, roughly $600,000 more than proposed.

Forty per cent of the county's revenue comes from property taxes.

Council comments

Councillor Mary Lloyd expressed reservations about the ambulance and garage portions of the budget.

"We have ... a very aggressive and financially high obligation with regards to the land ambulance program and the building of new stations," Lloyd said.

Noting "escalating costs" to build county garages, she said council has not yet received a "fulsome report on how we did on the Arthur garage in its serviceability in the last year and how it's working out."

The Arthur works garage had a budget of $16.8 million and the proposed Erin garage, to begin construction this year, is budgeted at $18.4 million.

Lloyd also noted the county is setting aside $6 million for an ambulance station.

"This gives me pause because I'm starting to wonder if we are making decisions on our capital budgeting that are either ... over inflated or ... under informed," she said.

Warden Chris White told Lloyd the capital outlay for ambulance stations is a guide.

"In terms of actually building the ambulance stations and their costs, none of that has been finalized," White said.

"There is an opportunity for the county to build them and then lease them back to the city."

But because the city is the service provider for ambulances, the county may not be building the stations at all.

"Before the first [one] is even built, it will come back to this council ... this budget is not calling for that. It's a placeholder," White said.

Campbell agreed with Lloyd about needing a more detailed report on the Arthur garage.

Once council approved the budget with no additional changes, White invited Campbell and treasurer Ken DeHart to the centre of the council chamber.

He gifted them T-shirts with the county's 10-year reserve and reserve funds forecast depicted on a graph, congratulating them on a "great budget and a great year."