Perth County Council has approved the 2021 budget.
At their meeting on January 28th, county council approved the 2021 Capital and Operating budgets in principle following budget presentations from staff. The budget includes a 3.49 percent increase to the levy in the total amount of $17,109,458 which is an additional $576,645 from 2020. The budget was developed and is focused on the county's 5 key strategic planning goals that include:
-Growth and Economic Development
-Regionalization and Service Effectiveness
-Customer Service Excellence
-Community Development and Planning
-Corporate Sustainability
Perth County still needs to review the tax policy for 2021, which will determine how each individual property tax class will divide the total levy for the 2021 property tax year.
Perth County Warden Jim Aitcheson says “I am happy that through a diligent review by County Council, we have worked together to approve a budget for the coming year that balances affordability and continuing to deliver important projects and services in Perth County.”
Manager of Finance and Treasurer, Corey Bridges guided Council through the budget process. “We always make a concerted effort to balance the needs of the County today while also being mindful to put actions in place to further fiscal sustainability for the region for the future.” Bridges says. “The 2021 budget has to be a responsible and progressive balance between supporting communities and regional partners and the need to continue delivering essential municipal services during the pandemic.”
Interim CAO, Lori Wolfe, adds “We are pleased at Council’s support of the 2021 budget. Staff are looking forward to delivering on their ambitious work plans while still adapting to regularly shifting pandemic circumstances.”
