Bruce County Council has taken a first look at the 2022-2026 draft corporate budget and forecast at their Corporate Services Committee meeting on October 14, 2021.
The 2022 draft budget maintains core services and plans for the future with investment in affordable housing, transit, and growth. While proposed expenses in this draft budget increased slightly for 2022, revenues are expected to decrease significantly due to reductions in federal and provincial funding, creating a proposed 4.80% increase in tax rates. The 2022 corporate budget building process reduced the proposed tax rate increase from 4.95%, which was the original forecast in the 2021 budget.
Warden Janice Jackson commented, “Bruce County Council will continue to review the revised draft budget for 2022 at the next Corporate Services Committee meeting in October. We are looking for opportunities to meet the needs of our residents through the challenges of the pandemic, while also encouraging economic recovery. We will continue to pursue quality infrastructure upgrades and support services in Bruce County. I would like to thank our staff for their hard work on building this draft budget.”
According to Director of Corporate Services Edward Henley, “County staff have created a responsible draft budget that reflects Council’s strategic direction and the challenges of our current times. We look forward to continuing on a fiscally responsible path.”
This $123.5M draft budget, consisting of $99.5M in operating expenses and $24M in capital expenses, will allow Bruce County to deliver high quality municipal services like infrastructure improvements, family and housing supports, emergency paramedic services, economic development, and library and museum programming.
Discover more about the 2022-2026 draft corporate budget at www.brucecounty.on.ca. Multi-year budgeting is a best practice for municipalities, and encouraged by the Province, ensuring adequate resources for fulfilling the County’s strategic plans and goals.
Key Initiatives for 2022:
• Clean Energy Vehicle Strategy
• Cyber Security Initiatives
• New Paramedic Station in Saugeen Shores
• Increased Spending on Traffic Calming Initiatives
• Transit • Teeswater River Bridge (Paisley) replacement
• Affordable Housing Upgrades • Long Term Care Initiatives to Increase Bedside Care
• Library Bookmobile