MIDDLESEX COUNTY

LOCAL COUNCIL VISITS

April 2011
Agenda

 2010 Highlights
 2011 Budget

 2011 Priorities

 Questions
 2010 Highlights

 Council Turnover
7 out of 12 new councillors
 3 orientation days

 Library Facilities Policy

 Phase one complete
 Policyin place
 Meeting with administration regarding facilities completed
 Follow-up meetings in June
2010 Highlights
 Broadband
 Substantial completion in 2010
 Tremendous project for our residents

 Substantially expanded broadband opportunities for

our residents
 Currently working on “on-site equipment” for the hard
to serve residents
TVDSB Letter of Agreement
 County Council formed the Community Schools
Alliance to address the concerns associated with
rural school closures
 Tremendous success
 Utilized this momentum to form a Letter of
Agreement with TVDSB that can be replicated
across the province
 First meeting with the TVDSB was held in March
2011 Budget
2011 Budget Highlights

 Total Budget of $74,397,780

 Passed the budget in March 2011
 Tax rates, etc also established

 Strong financial position

 Healthy reserves
 We prepared in the good times for
periods where our human services costs
would fluctuate
 We continue to contribute at required
levels to our PSAB reserves
 2011 Budget Highlights

 The tax rate has not increased over 2010

 The County levy for 2011 is up 5.6% or
$1,412,753
 The County in 2011 had real growth of
$372,543 or 1.5% when tax ratios are
applied
 Therefore the net levy increase is 4.1%
2011 Budget Highlights

 Department budgets decreased $244,000

 We transferred $537,621 from the tax rate
stabilization reserve (leaves $868,000 in the
reserve)
 Increase in Children with Special Needs
 Increase in Economic Development Budget
 OMPF decrease of $130,500
2011 Budget Cost Drivers
 Loss of OMPF Revenue
 A number of factors have combined to significantly reduce
our OMPF funding in 2009, 2010 and 2011
 The primary reason for the reduction is the impact that
reassessment had on the tax revenue from farmland
 This overall reduction in revenue from the province was
equivalent to a 4.5% increase to our levy amount
 Municipal County Expenditures
23,712,684

17,157,695

11,276,491
10,618,222

877,406
3,157,840 2,864,771
1,497,391
387,131
969,183 698,955 1,180,011
 Your County Dollars

12,790,384

6,013,159

771,576
2,458,213
1,801,113 1,548,575
1,249,656 1,180,011
757,000 592,826
376,378 70,158
Long-term Budget Trends

 Hereis a look at the long-term

trends….
35.0

30.0

25.0

20.0

15.0

10.0

5.0

-
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Total Reserves Total Reserve Funds

 County of Middlesex
1998 and estimated 2011
Tax Levy in 1998 Dollars (14.9% decrease)

20,153,691
25,000,000

17,308,922

20,000,000

15,000,000
Tax Levy

10,000,000

5,000,000

0
1998 2011
Years
Tax Rate Comparisons

County of Middlesex .00386

Huron County .00600
Elgin County .00580
Wellington County .00707
Oxford County .00454
2011Priorities
 Council was faced with a number of very difficult
and multi-layered decisions during the first four
months of this term
 Employment Resource Centres
 Budget
 Developing a budgeting philosophy
 Core services

 Archive
Western Ontario Wardens Caucus
 Middlesex County has accepted a leadership position with
WOWC in 2011
 Three priorities
 Economic Development
 Rationalization of groups in SW Ontario
 Potential letter of agreement with SWEA?

 Increased ED funding for SW Ontario

 OMPF
 New formula
 Farm tax rebate
 LHINs
 Rural emergency rooms
 Long-term care funding
QUESTIONS