United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) Council spent nearly four hours on Wednesday, October 30, discussing how much the regional government will spend in 2025 and how much more in property taxes it will collect.
The draft budget presented to council included an increase of 4.66 per cent in the amount of taxes the UCPR will collect in 2025, bringing the total amount collected in the year ahead to $62,344,800. A 4.66 per cent levy increase would result in an additional $21 on residential tax bills per $100,000 of assessment. The average value of a residential house in the UCPR is $284,488. The owner of a residential property at that value would pay an additional $61 in taxes to the UCPR. However, the mayors have decided some projects and programs will be modified or eliminated so the increase to taxpayers is less than 4.66 per cent.
Clarence-Rockland Mayor Mario Zanth was quite critical of the Cultural Fund/Regional Community Investment Fund established by council in the 2024 budget. In 2025, $630,000 was to be allocated to the fund. Zanth said the fund has a direct impact on the taxes the UCPR collects and he would prefer if spending on cultural and community projects was left to individual municipalities.
“Honestly, I’d rather manage this in my own way. I’m okay with doing away with this community fund,” he said.
Zanth explained the focus should be on reducing the taxes at the UCPR.
“It was added through a political thing. It doesn’t necessarily add any value to us, but it actually puts a lot on taxpayers throughout the whole of Prescott-Russell,” he remarked.
“We’re taxing ourselves to give ourselves back some money,” added Zanth.
Contributions to a series of not-for-profit organizations were also included in the draft 2025 budget. Those included $174,000 for the Conseil des arts Prescott-Russell Arts Council (CAPRAC), $20,000 for the Regroupement Autisme Prescott-Russell (RAPR), a new request for $50,000 request from Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Cornwall and District, $35,000 for the Eastern Ontario Agri-food Network (EOAN), and $15,000 for the L’Orignal Old Jail.
Zanth said he does believe counties are the level of government which should be distributing cash to organizations. He said it is difficult to say nothing can be spent on affordable housing when funds are being given to organizations.
Council agreed to reduce the CAPRAC contribution to $100,000, and the EOAN contribution by 25 per cent. The BBBS contribution was cancelled, and the RAPR contribution was reduced by 25 per cent. Council did agree to maintain the L’Orignal Old Jail contribution at $15,000.
Concerns were also voiced about the road subsidy the UCPR provides to its municipalities for municipal road construction. As an example, Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Lefebvre noted the town does not have any county roads within its limits, but it is home to the Prescott and Russell Residence, which as a public institution, does not pay property taxes.
Casselman Mayor Geneviève Lajoie defended the Cultural Fund/Regional Community Investment Fund. She said it brings visibility to the UCPR through community projects such as the community garden being developed in Casselman.
“This is not a gift,” Zanth said of the fund. He said the UCPR needs to refocus on realizing there is only one taxpayer.
Both Lajoie and Zanth agreed that the Prescott-Russell Area Partnership (PRAP) fund should be eliminated. PRAP was established to provide UCPR assistance to municipalities for the development of infrastructure to serve new commercial and industrial developments.
Lajoie moved to maintain the Cultural Fund/Regional Community Investment Fund and to have the $1.2 million in the PRAP reserve fund reallocated to the Road Transfer Fund. The motion was adopted but Zanth voted against it.
During the budget meeting, council was reminded that because the new Prescott and Russell Residence in Hawkesbury is nearly complete, the debt repayment for the construction of the new facility will begin in 2025. The estimated total construction cost is $92,759,906 and has been financed through a loan from Infrastructure Ontario, an agency of the provincial government, at an estimated interest rate of 4.35 per cent. The debt repayment for the new residence will have an impact of $2,456,600 on the 2025 UCPR budget.
During discussions about the Department of Public Works budget for 2025, a list containing $16,008,300 in capital projects was presented. Almost all of those projects are in Clarence-Rockland and Russell Township. Director of Public Works Jérémie Bouchard identified it will cost about $175 million to meet infrastructure and capacity challenges on County Road 17, particularly through the congested area of Clarence-Rockland where development and commuters are driving traffic volumes higher.
The Nation Mayor Francis Brière suggested improvements to County Road 17 around Rockland could be financed through development charges, based on the idea that growth pays for growth.
Zanth said growth is not really paying for growth given the fiscal challenges municipalities are facing.
No specific plans for a design of a widened County Road 17 around Rockland are planned for 2025, but Bouchard said it is possible for 2026. He said widening the road to four lanes is likely the next big project the UCPR faces.
Zanth said the project should be “shovel ready” for work to begin, because being prepared greatly improves the likelihood of receiving provincial grant funding.
Zanth thinks going ahead with some preparations could force the province to twin the rest of the road. Earlier in 2024, the Ontario government agreed to resume jurisdiction over what is now Ottawa Road 174, the former section of Highway 17 between Highway 417 and the Prescott-Russell boundary which was transferred to municipal jurisdiction in 1998. So far, the province has not expressed interest in resuming jurisdiction over the highway within the UCPR.
There is currently $706,000 in UCPR reserve funds for County Road 17, but nothing has been set aside for 2025.
An updated draft of the 2025 UCPR budget will be presented to council on November 13. The final budget is likely to be adopted on November 27.
