(Gazette file photo)
SARAH WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
Last week, Prince Edward County Council approved the 2023 tax-supported operating budget of $71.6 million. The tax-supported capital budget for 2023 is $19.9 million following the decisions made by Council today.
The municipal operating budget includes a 7.9 per cent tax increase or 5.8 per cent after assessment growth. The 2023 operating budget will result in an estimated increase of $57.99 on an average assessment of $100,000.
For comparison, the 2022 tax-supported operating budget was $67 million with an increase to the tax levy of 5.52 per cent or 3.81 per cent after assessment growth.
Council also passed the rate-supported operating budget for water and wastewater services of $11.4 million. Water and wastewater rates will continue to follow the rate schedule set by Council in 2021.
“Despite facing a number of budget pressures beyond our control, council made the decision to maintain service levels and invest in high-priority areas such as health care and infrastructure,” Mayor Steve Ferguson said. “Asking residents and businesses to pay more is never easy. That’s why we looked to save money wherever possible and expanded our financial relief program to help individuals and families who need it the most.”
Council unanimously approved the continuation of the Municipal Financial Relief Program to support low-income households in Prince Edward County. The program, which began as a pilot in 2022, will be offered with expanded eligibility in 2023.
Ameliasburgh Councillor Janice Maynard. (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)
Households earning less than $32,240 (single income) or $64,480 (family income) will be able to apply to one of two streams of the program:
In addition, council directed staff to look at ways to provide a municipal financial relief grant to rural renters in 2024.
Councillor Janice Maynard spoke to the need for relief for rural renters.
“What do we do for the rural tenants? Is there any way we can craft something for them? All rent will go up this year,” Maynard posited.
CAO Marcia Wallace noted staff is aware of the gap in the program that affects rural renters. To help provide more financial relief to rural renters in the future, Councillor Kate MacNaughton put forward a motion directing staff to work toward the goal of filling this gap in relief.
During the budget deliberations, staff provided council with an update on the long-term care home redevelopment. Despite their efforts, the project is unable to complete the design in time to meet the provincial timelines and is ineligible for the recently announced accelerated provincial funding. Council deferred undertaking the debt for this project in 2023, and staff committed to continue to work toward getting the project shovel ready before the end of this year.
Speaking to this item was the CAO, who emphasized the intention to redevelop the H.J. McFarland home remains steadfast.
“After we met during Capital Budget Deliberations, we got further information about a milestone by end of August that the municipality must meet. When we looked at that, it meant we needed drawings by next month and tendering in June. There’s no way we can make that timeline,” stated Wallace. “This is disappointing, but we are not the only ones in this position. We’re hearing there are many other municipalities who maybe misunderstood the requirement and now cannot make timeline. We did take to heart direction from council and got a reputable firm to help us with project management.”
Mayor Steve Ferguson reiterated the municipality’s determination to improve the long-term care home and his hopes to lobby MPP Todd Smith for another round of accelerated funding.
“The County, like many other municipalities, desperately needs provincial funding to redevelop our long-term care facility but cannot take advantage of this accelerated funding,” Mayor Ferguson said. “Over the next couple of months, I intend to actively lobby the provincial government, the Minister of Long-Term Care, and our local MPP and strongly urge them to provide another round of accelerated funding in the future.”
Speaking to council regarding the need for support for physician recruitment was Dr. James Burrows of County Docs, physician recruitment and retention team.
“Sadly, Doctor Johannsson passed away. He’s got a large practice and now 2000 patients of his are left without a doctor. There was no time to recruit someone to replace him,” announced Burrows.
Burrows added that this, combined with the departure of another physician, will leave 25 per cent of the County’s population without a family doctor by the end of May 2023.
Councillor Roy Pennell questioned Burrows about the feasibility of bringing nurse practitioners to help fill the gap caused by departing physicians.
“I wonder, are we looking at nurse practitioners? I know Quinte West and Belleville have two separate places that employ nurse practitioners who are able to handle a lot of the work that physicians are too busy to do,” said Pennell.
Burrows noted there is a group in Wellington hoping to “improve access to primary care in whatever means possible” and that they are in conversation with a similar group in Belleville, but that, as a physician recruitment team, this was not a specific priority of County Docs.
“While we don’t have any specific involvement in nurse practitioner recruitment, we do support it,” offered Burrows.
Additional Budget Highlights include:
Budget documents will be available on the municipal website shortly.
See it in the newspaper
-6° Light Snow
