Huron East 2026 budget process begins

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

Huron East Council has held its first meeting on the 2026 budget, with staff proposing a 4.4 per cent increase to the tax rate for municipal purposes. That increase will raise an additional $521,712 for the municipality, but with annual estimated growth of $144,000 in tax dollars, the net levy impact to residents for municipal purposes will be 3.2 per cent.

 

Chief Administrative Officer Jessica Rudy and Treasurer Denise Feeney presented their first draft of the budget to council at a special meeting held on Tuesday, Dec. 2 in Seaforth. Rudy said that the budget process would look a little different for 2026, largely due to the expansion of Strong Mayor Powers bestowed on lower-tier municipal leaders by the provincial government.
In her report to council, presented that day, Rudy said that staff members have made every effort to cut costs at every turn and, as a result, she felt the budget being presented was lean and responsible, while maintaining current service levels.

 

“Staff are pleased to present the 2026 draft municipal budget for input during the budget workshop. The budget you will find is a culmination of staff’s efforts to bring forward a budget that aims to deliver existing service levels in the most cost-efficient manner,” she said. “Staff have completed a rigorous line-by-line review of the budget to ensure that the amounts presented are in line with trends observed or known challenges Due to these efforts, I can assure council that the 2026 draft staff budget is responsible, cost-effective and maintains our service levels.”

 

The proposed budget, she told council, requires just under $12.4 million in taxation dollars to accomplish its goals for 2026. She noted that just over $10.2 million is being spent on capital projects in 2026, which were provided in detail at the same meeting, with just under $5.3 million being paid by external sources, such as provincial and federal grants, fundraising or other municipalities, while just over $4.9 million is being funded by the municipality’s reserves.

 

Feeney then noted some specific aspects of the budget, beginning with a 10.3 per cent increase to the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) money Huron East will receive from the provincial government this year, rising to $1,442,700.
Rudy and Feeney, in their report to council, noted that, in the administration department, increased money from OMPF will provide an opportunity for a stronger financial foundation, senior staff turnover will bring with it fresh ideas, innovative approaches and a willingness to change, while the municipality’s ongoing digital transformation is helping to streamline administrative tasks, improve online accessibility and leverage data analytics for more informed decision making.

 

Some challenges to this year’s budget process are difficulty attracting and retaining qualified employees, inflation and rising expenses, and new legislative and regulatory mandates, which are straining resources.

 

Other proposed departmental budgets are: roads, $6,020,266 (a 12.7 per cent increase); drains, $95,965 (58.3 per cent increase); daycare, $364,120 (a 27.7 per cent decrease); conservation authority, $309,555 (a 3.6 per cent increase); police, $1,857,145 (a 10.9 per cent increase); fire, $1,44,438 (a 12.5 per cent increase); administration, $1,189,431 (a 7.1 per cent decrease); community services, $2,938,730 (a 2.4 per cent decrease); council, $288,569 (a 3.6 per cent decrease), and economic development, $239,452 (a 1.2 per cent increase). Waste management costs have gone from $98,480 to zero and other costs have gone from $11,286 in 2025 to savings of $11,352 for a change of just over 200 per cent.

 

Feeney then detailed the full list of capital projects on the docket for the municipality in the coming year, including the ongoing connecting link project in Seaforth; paving on Canada Company Road (from County Road 12 to Beechwood Road); surface work on Bridge M41 on Summerhill Road; road work in the new Brussels subdivision; work at the Seaforth sewage treatment plant, the Brussels sewage pumping station and the Vanastra sewage treatment plant; a new grader; the replacement of one heavy truck and several light trucks; a new roadside mowing unit; a new ice resurfacer in Brussels; deck improvements and a pump replacement at the Brussels pool, new playground equipment in Vanastra and more.