County of Renfrew Approves 2020 Budget

Pembroke, (ON): On Monday January 27th County of Renfrew Warden Debbie Robinson, Councillor Jennifer Murphy, Chair of the County’s Finance & Administration Committee, and Councillor Glenn Doncaster, Vice-chair of the Finance and Administration Committee, led the annual County of Renfrew Budget Workshop. The trio commended Elected Officials and County staff on the delivery of the 2020 budget which meets all of the targets set by Council for 2020. At today’s meeting County Council approved the 2020 Annual Budget.

The principles adopted in the Long-term Financial Plan continue to guide the annual budget discussions, ensuring that the County of Renfrew remains focused on today and on the future. In doing so, the County of Renfrew will have the resources necessary to operate all of its programs and services as well as fund the $285 million asset renewal program over the next 10 year planning horizon.

At the September 2019 session, County Council gave clear direction to the CAO and staff on how they would like the first draft of the budget prepared in order to minimize the financial impact on Renfrew County residents. The County of Renfrew had the task to find savings to off-set the $887,000 in Provincial cuts that impacted paramedic services, child care, long-term care, the Renfrew County Housing Corporation, and Ontario Works programs in 2019. Council has passed a budget that will include investments in projects for social housing, long-term care, more efficient service delivery at the County administration building, and roads, bridges and culvert rehabilitation and construction.

The 2020 approved levy adjusted for growth equates to a residential property tax impact of $2.12 increase per $100,000 value of their home. Given the median residential property value of $203,000 in Renfrew County, a typical homeowner would see an impact of $4.30 for 2020. That means that for a very modest tax rate increase of 0.6%, the County of Renfrew can continue to deliver high quality services to our community such as two Long-Term Care Homes, Paramedic Services, and Social Services.

Warden of the County of Renfrew Debbie Robinson shared this comment on the budget workshop, “I wish to express my appreciation to all the Standing Committee members for your hard work in reviewing the draft budgets during the past few weeks. County Council and staff are focused on quality assurance, efficiency, and transparency; with affordability being the primary focus in the budget decision process. Council along with staff worked in an engaged and efficient manner to ensure that the County of Renfrew continues to provide quality services to our community. On behalf of County Council, I wish to express a sincere “Thank you” to all staff involved in preparing this draft budget. ”

Councillor Jennifer Murphy, Chair of the Finance & Administration Committee, commended County of Renfrew elected and staff on their efforts to find savings within their respective areas of the budget. Chair Murphy had this comment: “I am pleased to report that CAO Paul Moreau and his staff have delivered a 2020 Consolidated Budget that meets the targets as directed by Council in September 2019. I believe that we have a very effective and efficient budget process that allows Council to meet in January each year to debate, review and finally approve a budget that provides clear direction to our staff on delivering services to our residents in an efficient and effective manner.”

A recommendation for the 2020 budget was officially adopted as a By-law immediately following the budget presentation on Monday.

Additional Information for Consideration

With only a modest 0.6% increase to the tax rate, County Council was able to ensure that quality services provided by the County of Renfrew continue to be there for Renfrew County residents. Some of the highlights included:

• Increased efficiency of service delivery by consolidating services at the County Administration Building in Pembroke
• Investments in Active Transportation via major upgrades to the Algonquin Trail
• Launch of a ride sharing initiative for seniors
• Supporting a Seniors’ Affordable Housing Strategy
• Investing in the architectural work/renovations for the Butterfly Approach at Bonnechere Manor and Miramichi Lodge
• Investing in capital projects for roads, bridges, and culverts
• A commitment for a comprehensive mental health strategy to support Paramedics and their families
• Investing in social housing initiatives

The County of Renfrew is an Upper Tier Municipality providing a wide range of services to the 17 Lower-tier Municipalities that make up the largest geographic area of any municipality in Ontario.

For more information, please contact:

Jeff Foss Treasurer, County of Renfrew 613-735-7288

Michael Barber Media Relations/ Grants Coordinator 613-735-7288

Photo L-R: Chair of the County of Renfrew Finance and Administration Committee, Jennifer Murphy; Vice-Chair of the County of Renfrew Finance and Administration Committee Glenn Doncaster.