Frontenac County Council Finalises 2025 Budget

Jeff Green | Nov 27, 2024

Frontenac County Council finalised the 2025 budget at their monthly meeting last week.

There was very little up for discussion as Council had already met on October 31 and November 1.

At the end of those discussions, a tax levy increase of 5.79% was tentatively in place, with a couple of decisions still pending, that could bring that number up or down, depending on the will of Council.

In the interim, information about three transfers to and from the City of Kingston came in. Among those, was a less than budgeted revenue for Provincial Offences, but that was off-set by lower than budgeted costs for Social Housing and Children's Services/Ontario Works. The net impact on the budget levy was a savings to the county of almost $39,000, trimming the draft budget increase to 5.48%.

Among the items that were included in the budget was an expenditure of $43,000, to go into a reserve fund in order to create a new economic development position starting in 2026.

South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal said that he was ok with the $43,000, but wanted to put an extra condition on the new position.

“I think we would like to see a two-year contract, to see what impact it has, rather than a permanent hire,” he said.

That proposal was adjusted to a three-year term after some debate. This change had no impact on the 2025 budget.

The budget was the subject of three votes. One during the Committee of the Whole portion of the meeting. The vote at the committee of the whole was unanimous.

However, when the budget then progressed to the formal adoption stage, the vote was not unanimous. Councillor Greenwood-Speers voted against it. The final vote was 8-1 on the bylaw, because as Mayor of South Frontenac, Ron Vandewal has two votes on formal council matters.

The final budget levy increase of 5.48% will be folded into the final tax bill paid by all Frontenac County ratepayers, along with their own township taxes, and an education levy. The county portion of local tax bills is about 20%, so this budget will result in a tax increase of about 1.2% for ratepayers.

Budget deliberations in both South and North Frontenac are upcoming. North Frontenac meets this Friday (November 29). The preliminary budget being presented to Council includes a 4.8% increase in the tax levy.

South Frontenac will be looking at their capital budget on December 3rd, with formal adoption set for December 17.