Get ready for higher property taxes
Rising OPP bills hit municipalities across Ontario
The only good news about your property tax bill for 2025 is likely to be if you embrace the idea that misery loves company.
When we look at what’s likely to be a substantial tax jump, we will be able to take some comfort that most everyone else in rural or small-town Ontario will be in the same boat.
That’s because a primary cause will be the rising cost of the Ontario Provincial Police.
Property owners across the province are facing large jumps, driven by double-digit increases in the bills municipalities are receiving from the OPP. Municipalities have little control over their police spending. The provincial force sends an estimated invoice each fall for the next year and then makes adjustments should the actual cost be higher or lower. That invoice is driven by OPP salaries.
In July the police union reached a deal with the province for 2023 to 2026, and the officers will see raises of 4.75 per cent retroactive to the start of last year, followed by an increase of 4.5 per cent for this year and 2.75 per cent raises in each of 2025 and 2026.
By the end of the deal, a first-class constable will earn $123,194, the highest in the province, up from 32nd spot before the contract, said the Ontario Provincial Police Association, the union that represents about 10,000 officers and civilian employees.
This fall the OPP has been calculating those costs for municipalities and sending them the bills. The OPP says wages represent 90 per cent of its budget. It says the cost per property will rise to $399 from $355, but with all the construction going on in our towns and on the concession roads we are adding a lot of new properties.
Here in Trent Hills, the municipality has not yet made public what our OPP invoice says, but the news from other areas shows increases in a range from 14 per cent in Central Frontenac to 37 per cent in Collingwood.
The total municipal budget for 2024 was $37,760,620 and the OPP portion of that was $2,557,132, up $25,356, or 1 per cent from 2023. Policing was 12.7 per cent of the operating budget, behind transportation at 42.1 per cent and parks and recreation at 15.2 per cent.
If we assume that we’re facing an OPP hike of 10 per cent to make the math simple, which is probably low, that will mean a $256,000 increase, in addition to whatever other increases we face.
Several politicians in other municipalities have suggested the province should pick up the extra cost since it negotiated the contract that is driving their bills higher. They’ve asked Solicitor General Michael Kerzner to look at the issue. I contacted his office to see what, if anything, he plans to do.
“We understand that some municipalities face additional costs due to their existing agreements with the OPP,” said Chelsea McGee, Director of Communications & Issues Management, Office of the Solicitor General. “We will work with these municipalities to ensure they are not negatively financially impacted by this.”
To be honest, I have no idea what this really means, but given that we appear to be headed towards a spring election, perhaps there will be some relief. A slice of the $3 billion the Ford government is spending to send each of us $200 could have been used to pay the OPP.
Most years by this time the OPP’s website contains an outline of the reasons behind its bills. For example, in 2023 the material for this year was posted in late October. But this year, nothing is online. I’ve asked the OPP when it will be posting the 2025 details that explain the reasons behind the increases, but haven’t received a response.
But it’s not only the OPP’s bill that is rising. A report in the agenda for the Nov. 12 meeting shows that Lower Trent Conservation Authority is seeking a 12.8 per cent increase in its funding from the municipality to $243,350 from $218,659. The Lower Trent and all conservation authorities have seen their budgets turned upside down in recent years as the province has slashed what they can do and what they can charge, while leaving large areas of responsibility that must be financed by local municipalities.
Lynn Phillips, Chief Administrative Officer for Trent Hills, had said the council and the public would get a first look at the 2025 budget situation at the council meeting on Nov. 12, but the agenda for that meeting says the budget won’t be discussed until Nov. 26.
Valerie Nesbitt, the municipality’s longtime treasurer and director of finance, retired in September and new treasurer Christina Beaushaw just started in October and was introduced at the Oct. 22 council meeting. She joined us from the Township of Lanark Highlands, where she had been treasurer for 17 months.
I imagine her on-boarding by HR consisted of: Here’s your key card, the washroom is down the hall, and we need a budget in four weeks. It strikes me as the accounting equivalent of being tossed into the deep end.
The town also has a leadership gap as it plans the spending for 2025 and beyond. Last April, it introduced Steve van De Keere, as the first Director of Public Works. Van De Keere previously worked as Director of Transportation for the Region of Waterloo.
Phillips said at the time that “the Director of Public Works position is new. It replaces the General Manager of Infrastructure and Public Works Administration position, held by Scott White. When Scott retired, the decision was made to modify the position to oversee the entire Public Works department including roads, water, wastewater, and infrastructure.”
But van De Keere is no longer with the municipality and recent water and wastewater reports to council have come from Phillips. There is no posting for a new director of public works. White was kept on contract to oversee the Ranney Street North revitalization.
The council meeting on Nov. 26 should be interesting. Of course, we also await the budgets from Northumberland county and our two school boards so we can tally up the final bill.
You can read all Trent Hills News stories anytime on the website.
It is my pleasure to comment. I have been watching the action of this Municipality for some time. On Trent Island there has been numerous water main breaks, some time they don,t come to the surface and as Tanner Rd is next to the river and the water goes into the river behind the houses. The road is sinking, due to water leaking from the canal. A sewage hole that’s sits on Parkview has tilted. While I had the Mayor on scene looking at the water main break. I pointed out to him that the asphalt on two sides of the hole dropped down, more than likely from water action under the road surface. Staff filled the holes and covered the lid with more asphalt. To pump the hole asphalt has to be removed which has been done. Staff says why fix it as it will have to be dug up when road will be done. This was in 2022. My question is with water main breaks, road sinking what about the sewer pipes, do they just bend. Was told that this was the next project. They had Engage Engineering give a community briefing at the council chamber attended by Councillors Giddings and Pope. Now Mayor Crate says it will not be done unless money is available. He was looking for money from the Provincial Govt. but to my knowledge haven,t applied. When I first complained about wanting a proper patch. The council got money for Covid and spent it on renovating the municipal office and tearing up a perfectly good parking lot and paving it. The residents here have seen numerous Municipal vehicles, three in one parade looking at our area. Tanner rd has moguls instead of a proper patch. It was a breath of fresh area when a engineer was hired and inspected the area, hired in May and don,t know when he left. Only explanation is issues.
Yes council should be looking at the present infrastructure instead of putting money into new infrastructure for developers. Council should be communicating with the tax payers. Too day the council will be giving the administrator going to the bank to obtain a loan of 6.4 million to pay for the Sunny Life centre. No problem with the building but why was it not kept on budget.
This council needs a shake up due to all the costs going up. What are they cutting? With this new budget are they going to face the public or just do it on TV. Come on Crate show some leadership.