Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith asks staff to target a tax increase of "about 7%"

Jeff Green | Jan 09, 2025

The Central Frontenac Township budget process is somewhat different than the township's neighbours to the south and north, both of whom have finalised their budgets, which include increases the range of 5% for 2025.

The North Frontenac total levy increase is 4.55% and the increase in South Frontenac is 5.69% - no allowances for growth is included in the above figures.
In North and South Frontenac, draft budgets which were almost complete were presented to Council in November, in order for the final budget to be completed before the end of 2024.

Central Frontenac Council met in November to talk in general terms about the 2025 budget, and again on December 17, 2024, to look at some preliminary numbers. The budget process will not be completed until February of 2025 at the earliest, and the December 17 numbers are not a final draft for Council to consider.

Nonetheless, the numbers were staggering for the members of council in attendance. They included a projected operating budget increase of 7%, and a capital budget increase of about 33%.

The operating budget contains relatively firm numbers, based on increased costs that the township is facing due to inflation and other factors, although there are some new staffing requests that may or may not be approved by Council. The capital budget, however, included a list of projects along with a detailed analysis of the cost structure and a score out of 100, based on th need for the projects to be completed within a short time frame.

Among the larger capital projects on the preliminary list, are $550,000 for fire apparatus and a vehicle, $800,000 for pavement preservation, $450,000 for a tandem truck, $600,000 for the Henderson Road bridge, $520,000 for a tractor/brusher, $410,000 for a tandem/plow truck, $350,000 for repairs to Road 509, $310,000 for the Sharbot Lake causeway bridge, and $200,000 for the Olden Hall.

The preliminary draft budget also includes 2 projects that have grant money attached to them. One is the completion of the Sharbot Lake Village Project. It is a $504,239 project, but with a $470,000 grant, only $34,239 would come from the tax rolls if the project goes ahead in 2025.

The second is the Sharbot Lake beach washroom project, at $300,000. There is a $100,000 grant available for the project from Frontenac County, and $90,000 has been raised through a local fundraising effort, leaving $110,000 on the tax roll if the project goes ahead in 2025.

The December 17 meeting lasted 2.5 hours and included an extensive debate, both on staffing levels and the capital budget. The meeting was recorded and posted on Youtube, but the audio feed on the recording is compromised, and the debate is hard to follow.

However, at the conclusion, Mayor Smith summed up the direction given by Council to staff. The budgetary increases in the preliminary draft will be mitigated by surpluses that will be determined when the 2024 actual expenditures are finalised next month. Then, by cutting or deferring a number of proposed expenditures, it is her expectation that the draft budget that comes to Council in February, will include an increase in the 7% range, no more than 9% at the outside, and hopefully as low as 6%.

Council will conduct a final debate before approving the budget.

Any projects that must be initiated earlier than that, in order to get underway early, can come to Council in January or February for approval.