An average of $109 will be added to residential property tax bills in Alfred and Plantagenet in 2025.
The 2025 municipal budget was adopted by township council on December 17, 2024.
The 6.8 per cent increase in the amount of taxes the municipality will collect equals about $9 per month. According to the 2025 budget, in 2024, the township collected $8,700,158 in property taxes. In 2025, it is projected to collect $9,453,200, an increase of $753,042. The remaining municipal revenue will come from government grants, fees, and interest. The total value of the 2025 budget is $18,290,248.
On December 9 and 10 2024, the 2025 draft budget was presented to council with an initial tax levy increase of 8.26 per cent. After review and consideration by council, the increase was reduced by 1.46 per cent.
The greatest challenge for council during the budget process was the significant increase in policing costs the municipality was facing in 2025. Alfred and Plantagenet, along with many other municipalities across the province who use the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) for policing services, were facing increases in 2025 that were initially having a severe impact on potential tax increases. However, the Solicitor General of Ontario notified the municipalities on November 29, 2024, that the government was providing additional grant funding to municipalities to offset a portion of the increase in OPP costs. As a result, Alfred and Plantagenet expects to receive a reduction of $260,293 towards its OPP costs in 2025. However, policing costs for the municipality in 2025 are still projected at $1,782,411, an increase of $295,089 from 2024.
During the budget process, the administration also recommended transferring 25 per cent of the grant amount to a reserve to offset OPP cost increases in future years and stabilize the tax increase.
Council also cut some transfers to reserves during the budget process, resulting in the 6.8 per cent levy increase.
The vote to adopt the budget bylaw was not unanimous. Councillors Ian Walker and Benoit Lamarche voted against adoption, while Mayor Yves Laviolette and Councillors Jean-Pierre Cadieux and Antoni Viau voted to adopt the budget bylaw.
