Wellington

Local issues. Ontario-wide lessons.

Eighty-Five Per Cent of the Tax Increase Comes From Three Services

Most municipal budgets tell residents how much taxes are going up. Wellington County’s budget offers a more useful number: almost 85 per cent of its 2026 tax-levy increase was attributable to just three areas—roads and bridges, police services and social housing. That changes the conversation. The County’s approved budget increased its portion of property taxes by 3.6 per cent. It includes $58.3 million for roads capital and public works facilities, $10.6 million for social and affordable-housing repairs and additional spending on homelessness supports and paramedic services.

Residents can debate those priorities. But at least they can see what is driving the increase. Municipalities too often present budgets as a huge collection of departmental line items that only finance professionals can realistically follow. Council then announces a percentage increase and the public argues about whether the number is too high. A better budget would translate the increase into causes. For every additional $100 collected from the average household:

$X went to roads.
$X went to police.
$X went to wages.
$X went to housing.
$X went to debt.

That would also make political accountability much clearer. A councillor could not simply say taxes rose because of inflation if the budget showed that most of the increase arose from a particular new program. Nor could critics fairly blame administrative spending if bridges actually caused the increase. Wellington’s 85-per-cent figure should become standard municipal disclosure. Taxpayers do not merely deserve to know that their bill went up. They deserve to know exactly why.

CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS: 147 → 202 → 219 → 273. WHAT IS GOING WRONG?

This may be one of the most important numbers in Wellington County’s 2026 budget.

The County reports the number of people actively experiencing chronic homelessness at 147 in 2023, 202 in 2024 and 219 in 2025, with 273 projected for 2026.

At the same time, governments are spending more on housing programs and supports.

That doesn’t necessarily mean those programs are failing; population growth, rents, health and economic conditions matter.

But taxpayers deserve to know:

If spending rises while homelessness rises, which interventions are actually working?