WELLINGTON COUNTY — Residents can expect a 3.9 per cent increase on the county-portion of their tax bill in 2025.
Approved by county council Thursday afternoon, the planned levy change will represent an annual increase of $27 for every $100,000 of assessment.
In Wellington County, property taxes are paid to the lower-tier municipality, the upper-tier County of Wellington and a portion towards education.
“As the impacts of inflation and rising costs continue to affect everyone, the county strives to balance affordability with the service needs of our growing community,” said Warden Chris White in a news release. “The county has continued its approach of phasing in the rising costs of services through prudent long-term planning and financing.”
The majority of this year's operating budget increase can be attributed to the county's two largest services: roads and police services with $40.8 million of the $139.58 million operating budget earmarked for roads and bridges and $18.9 million for police services.
Another blow to the budget was an unexpected increase of $2.6 million for the police’s operating budget due to new collective agreements reached for police officers and civilian employees in summer 2024.
While the province announced in late 2024 that the County of Wellington would receive just over $2 million in one-time financial relief, it's anticipated the OPP contract will cost $21.3 million in 2026.
Approximately $63.66 million in capital spending is planned in 2025 with $44.3 million reserved for roads and $9.6 million for housing.
Other highlights include funding for land acquisition for new ambulance station facilities, enhanced hours at Wellington Terrace, the adoption of a Diversion Centre model at county waste facilities and the implementation of a Home Energy Efficiency Program.
Staff are currently predicting a 3.7 per cent increase in 2026.
The county approved a 4.6 per cent tax increase in 2024.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
