2023 South Frontenac Budget

Most people are familiar with a budget: a single-year view of the Township’s income and expenses, but some people may not be as familiar with a Long Range Financial Plan.

A Long Range Financial Plan is a key tool to help municipalities plan for the future and challenges such as infrastructure costs, impacts from climate change, economic uncertainty, legislative changes, capacity pressures and increased expectations from residents related to service delivery.

It includes key projections, like population growth figures, what we can expect to collect in taxes, assessment, inflation and projects operating expenses and revenue for a 10 year period. The plan also includes important information on the financial health of the Township.

It’s important to understand Council is not committed to any of the items or figures included in the plan. It is simply a forecast to help plan ahead for anticipated future needs. Everything continues to go through the annual budget approval process.

You can read our Long Range Financial Plan in the Documents pane.

Did you know?

South Frontenac has one of the lowest residential tax bills when compared to neighbouring municipalities? See the plan for full details!

South Frontenac Council has approved the 2023 budget of $37.4 million. The budget represents a 2.62 per cent tax increase or $43.91 a year for the average taxpayer for the Township portion*.

“In a year where we are seeing high inflation and cost pressures in every aspect of our operations, we believe we have found the right balance that taxpayers wanted of a reasonable increase to ensure we can maintain services and continue to invest in our community to grow,” says Mayor Ron Vandewal.

78% of residents who responded to a survey about the budget last fall indicated they’d prefer a reasonable increase to property taxes to maintain or enhance services.

Budget Highlights

• Total operating budget of $25,428,671 and capital budget of $11,978,750
• Assessment growth of 1.45%
• $8.37 million for roads projects in 2023, with major road projects including sections of Sunbury Road, Alton Road, and North Shore Road, funds allocated for updating gravel roads, and culvert replacements at Wilmer Road and Opinicon Road
• $575,000 to purchase a new tanker for South Frontenac Fire and Rescue
• $120,000 to resurface Glendower courts and $124,000 for new playground equipment in Harrowsmith and Inverary
• $100,000 towards climate change strategy and initiatives
• $120,000 towards Highway 38 preliminary design (Kingston Rd to Murton Rd)
• Strategic Plan update for the Township
• Townhall expansion design

“The Township is in a very strong financial position and we are focused on the priorities that matter most to our residents,” says Mayor Vandewal. “This budget will allow us to continue to grow to be a progressive rural leader.”

The final budget documents are posted on engagefrontenac.ca and the Township website.

*based on an average assessment of $278,387.

The Draft 2023 Budget will be discussed at the February 16, 2023 Committee of the Whole meeting starting at 9 am. If you’d like to participate via Zoom, click on the participation link on the meeting on our Events calendar.

We’ve now posted these documents under Documents:

• 2023 Draft Budget
• 2023 Budget Day PowerPoint presentation
• 2023 Capital Budget List and Detailed Worksheets
• 2023 Long Range Financial Plan presentation (see link in Documents pane)

Draft Budget Highlights

• 2023 budget: $37,407,420
• Total operating budget of $25,428,671
• Total capital budget of $11,978,750
• $448,341 overall Township levy increase being proposed
• This represents a 2.62% increase to the average taxpayer (Township portion only) or $43.91 a year
• Assessment growth is 1.45% or $308,397

A few things to note:

• At the February 16 Committee of the Whole meeting, Council and staff will review the full draft budget document which has significant variances highlighted at the bottom of each departmental section.
• The Capital Budget List outlines the list of proposed capital projects
• The final budget will be presented to Council in March with any recommended changes and for final approval

If you have comments or feedback you’d like to share and can’t attend the Feb 16 meeting, please feel free to post a comment on this page.

Council invites residents to provide input for the 2023 Budget via delegation or online survey. Those interested in presenting or providing verbal or written comments to Council on Tuesday, December 13, 2022 can contact the Clerk at 613-376-3027, x2222 to be placed on the agenda.

Requests to present to Council and/or written submissions must be sent to the Clerk’s Office by noon on Thursday, December 8, 2022, in person or via email to jthompson@southfrontenac.net.

Residents can also provide feedback through the survey on the feedback tab by December 31, 2022.

The budget is more than just dollars and cents – it impacts you through the programs and services you receive and is considered to be one of the Township's most important strategic documents, serving as a guide for everything that we do. Each time you enjoy a local park or beach, have your garbage and recycling collected, or use a recently plowed or repaired road, you are seeing your tax dollars at work.

It is South Frontenac's goal to provide a balance of services that improve the quality of life for our residents, while also ensuring we have the organizational capacity to deliver cost-effective services in a changing world.

Keep checking back for updates.

Questions about this platform can be directed to communications@southfrontenac.net.

Our 2019-2022 Strategic Plan can be found here.