MAPLETON – Property owners here may see township taxes go up by about $60 next year.
The proposed 2026 consolidated Mapleton budget totals $22.1 million, with a tax rate increase of 3.1 per cent.
It includes $11.1 million in capital expenditures, $7 million in operating expenditures, $3.5 million in transfers to infrastructure reserves and $481,821 in long-term debt servicing costs.
The levy requirement is $10.9 million, which will pay for the operating expenditures, transfers to reserves and debt servicing, while capital expenditures will be covered by grants, development charges, reserve funds and debentures.
The levy is up by about 6.8% over last year’s $10.2 million, but factoring in assessment growth, residents will pay about 3.1% more.
Council previously directed staff to create a budget with a 3.1% tax rate increase to align with Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index inflation measure.
This increase means an average Mapleton property owner would pay $59.28 more on the township portion of their tax bill next year.
Also included on the tax bill is a portion that goes to Wellington County (49%) and a portion that goes to school boards (15%).
Operating expenditures include day-to-day costs such as staff salaries, utilities and maintenance supplies, noted deputy treasurer Rachel Carter during a presentation of the draft budget to council on Oct. 21.
Long-term projects and expenses such as roads, buildings and vehicles are included in the capital budget, with more than half the 2026 capital budget going to roads, bridges, culverts and sidewalks.
The capital budget does not include water and wastewater projects.
Those have been transferred to the township’s new municipal services corporation, Northern Maple Utilities, established to increase the township’s flexibility in financing over $40 million in water and wastewater upgrades over the next three years.
Key pressures on the budget were inflation, service levels, external funding and economic uncertainty, said township treasurer Patrick Kelly.
While there are no proposed service level adjustments next year, “staff are cognizant that as community demands grow pressures continue to be placed upon our lean staffing model,” states a budget report.
“There are no guarantees of stable, reliable and predictable funding over the long-term,” the report continues, and “the impact of tariffs continues to be an unknown.
“If a deal cannot be reached between Canada and the U.S., cost impacts on the supply chain could be significant.”
Mayor Gregg Davidson said the budget “strikes a balance between what we want in our community and what we can afford.”
CAO Manny Baron called it “a road map for how we will build on our strengths, respond to emerging challenges and invest in the priorities that matter most to our residents and businesses.”
Over the past 10 years, Kelly said the average Mapleton tax increase has been less than the rate of inflation, which has led to a funding gap.
A budget workshop for council was set for Oct. 21. This is not for council to offer direction, but a chance for them to receive additional information about the proposed budget.
A public information session is set for Nov. 3, and the township aims to have the budget finalized and approved on Nov. 25.
This is earlier than most townships, Kelly noted, which gives Mapleton a chance to get bids and tenders out before most other municipalities, which can save money.
