Following two online community consultations and two Budget Deliberation meetings, on November 27, Chatham-Kent Council recommended its first yearly update to the 2024-2027 Multi-Year Budget.
The budget increase of 4.99% for 2025 includes investments in Chatham-Kent’s existing Municipal services at 1.88%. There is also an allotment of 2.35% being included for investment in social issues. The 2025 budget update also includes $4,069,961 in infrastructure spending, which allows for increased spending on future improvements to Chatham-Kent’s infrastructure, such as roads, drains, bridges and recreation facilities.
This equates to an average annual increase of $176 for the average household with an assessment value of $176,200, or $100 per $100,000 of residential assessment value. For more information on how property assessment impacts your property taxes, visit www.chatham-kent.ca/localgovernment/budget/Pages/Our-Budget-Process.aspx
The 2.35% being allocated to investment in social issues will allow for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent to address the complex challenges of homelessness and housing costs, in the absence of financial support from upper levels of government. Earlier this year, Council endorsed recommendations to move forward with replacing the existing emergency shelter on Murray St. with an Emergency Transitional Cabin program on Park St. at Hyslop St. in Chatham. Staff and Council have made and continue to make efforts to secure governmental funding to reduce the growing financial burden on Chatham-Kent taxpayers.
There are no closures to libraries, rural service centres, arenas, or community supports in the recommended budget.
Budget Committee Chair Councillor Brock McGregor said, “I would like to thank everyone involved in the first Multi-Year Budget Update process. Through Council, staff, and community collaboration, we continue to work towards ensuring fiscal responsibility while representing the needs of our community. Council is working diligently to balance the investments needed to address societal challenges and will continue to advocate for increased funding from upper levels of government.”
Prior to the draft budget being completed, the municipality launched a budget survey to seek input from residents on areas of focus that were of importance to the public.
survey had a total of 506 responses, providing both Council and administration with residents’ ideas and opinions. After the recommendations were presented to Council by municipal administration on November 13, administration also held two online consultations to gather input from residents.
“Both Council and staff are putting in a great deal of effort to strategically balance inflation, societal challenges, and lack of upper-level government funding while ensuring infrastructure and services are maintained and improved for the residents of Chatham-Kent going forward,” said Mayor Darrin Canniff. “This increase, which is much lower than we originally anticipated, will help us maintain our extensive infrastructure and help address our community’s increasing need to invest in social issues that are becoming increasingly common throughout cities Canada-wide.”
For more information on the 2024-2027 Municipality of Chatham-Kent Multi-Year Budget, please visit the municipal webpage Our Municipal Budgets.
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For more information:
Councillor Brock McGregor
Budget Committee Chair
519-436-3205
Brock.McGregor@chatham-kent.ca
Steve Brown, CPA, CMA
Director, Budget & Performance Services
Municipality of Chatham-Kent
519-360-1998 x 3100
Steve.Brown@chatham-kent.ca
Gord Quinton, MBA, CPA, CGA
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer
Municipality of Chatham-Kent
519-360-1998 x 3114
Gord.Quinton@chatham-kent.ca
Media Contact:
Eric Labadie
Manager, Corporate Communications
Municipality of Chatham-Kent
519-784-0370
Eric.Labadie@chatham-kent.ca
