Residents of Essex County will soon see a small additional amount leaving their bank accounts.
Essex County Council passed on Wednesday afternoon the county's 2022 budget, which includes a 1.56 per cent property tax increase. This translates into an additional $7.61 per year for a property assessed at $100,000. Based on that, the county portion of municipal taxes will go up to $497.04.
Council members began the meeting Wednesday with a 1.73 per cent tax increase on the table, later reduced in the final product.
Essex County Treasurer and Finance Services Director Sandra Zwiers said the spending plan continues to provide residents with quality services while addressing the financial challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It takes into account the additional pressures put on staff as a result of the pandemic and the continued growth of the region," said Zwiers.
Active transportation and road work will be supported in this budget. $45.5-million was earmarked for road construction, with roughly half of that set aside to deal with capacity issues. An additional $11.7-million will be used for road rehabilitation covering 46 kilometres of roadway. This includes the replacement of two culverts and repairs to two bridges. For the expansion of walking and biking trails, the County-Wide Active Transportation System (CWATS) will get $4.9-million.
The budget also includes funding to hire more paramedics. Essex-Windsor EMS will see its ranks increase by 12 paramedics.
The county has also set money aside to increase staffing support at the Sun Parlour Home, focusing on safety and infection control. The county's affordable housing stock is also getting a boost, with $2.6-million for replacing ageing social housing. The county will also place $6.36-million into the fund supporting the new Windsor-Essex acute care hospital.
For complete information about the county budget, visit the webpage on the official Essex County website.
