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2023 County Budget Officially Passed

Thursday, 12 January 2023 15:24

By Brad Kraemer

County Council met on Wednesday to discuss the budget.

OXFORD - The 2023 County Budget has been approved as of the most recent council meeting.

County Council met on Wednesday to discuss the budget among other issues, and Warden Marcus Ryan believes the discussion about the $308.3 million budget gave him a lot of confidence in this Council.

"I think there was a very healthy, robust an constructive debate at Council about this budget. When you have healthy debate at your Council it means there is potential to have for more healthy debates and that always means there's opportunities to do more and better more effectively and efficiently for residents."

Details about the budget include just over $70 million to be funded through the County’s general share of municipal property taxes, a 6% increase over 2022. That does not mean there will be a 6% increase in taxes however, due to the county's growth. The owner of an average-valued residential property will pay about $36 more in property tax, which is only about a 3.5% increase.

The budget also includes a capital plan of $84.1 million to maintain County infrastructure and plan for future growth. For example, there will be construction upgrades at Tillsonburg Wastewater Treatment Plant, capacity expansion at the Drumbo Wastewater Treatment Plant, improvements to roads, bridges and culverts, and money spent on renewable energy projects, in particular replacing traditional vehicles with hybrid and electric alternatives.

Ryan also said he expects county residents to be most happy with the increased commitment to affordable housing. The County has decided to set aside $3 million, which is $1.25 million more than previously planned. 

More information about the budget can be found here.

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