Douro-Dummer passed the 2026 municipal budget at the regular council meeting on Tuesday evening.
The budget process for council began with the first draft budget presentation taking place on October 16 followed by a public meeting on October 21 and a coffee and conversation on October 23 where ratepayers had an opportunity to discuss the budget with council and staff.
The increase to the tax rate on the first draft was penciled in at 4.8 per cent.
The second draft was presented on November 18. The increase to the tax rate was presented at 4.5 per cent.
There was substantial public input on the increases and council made some decisions to lower the increase on the third presentation. The largest adjustment came from the Public Works department where the decision to cancel surface treatment on Douro 4th Line from County Road 4 to County Road 8 saved $199,400.
Deputy mayor Harold Nelson tabled a motion that read as follows: Where as this is the third draft of the 2026 township of Douro-Dummer budget shows a levy increase of 1.6 per cent which is less than inflation and where as the draft 2026 budget is proposing that the capital budget be reduced by $207,900, a reduction of 2.8 per cent and where as the township of Douro-Dummer is required to have an asset management plan that ensures sufficient funds are available to provide repairs and replacement of assets such as roads, culverts and buildings and where as the asset management plan calls for more investment in the municipalities assets not less. Therefore let it be resolved that the council of the township of Douro-Dummer direct that $199,400 previously allocated to the Douro 4th Line Road repair project, which was removed from the budget be used to fund the double surface treatment of White Lake Road section 12 and Gilchrist Bay Road section eight as recommended in the township’s Roads Needs Study.
Councillor Tom Watt seconded the motion and commented that he misunderstood the removal of the fourth line monies in the budget and stated that the original draft had the controllable section of the budget at 1.6 per cent which he did not have a problem with.
Nelson’s motion passed and the new budget numbers were calculated immediately.The addition of the two roads will add an additional $200,500 to the budget
The tax increase for the 2026 fiscal year was initially introduced in the third draft at 1.6 per cent, but the new road wok brought the number to 4.3 per cent
This puts the residential impact per $100,000 of assessment at $503.05 which is an increase over 2025 of $20.9 or $1.74 per month.
Councillor Ray Johnston commented that he was very disappointed with his colleagues for what they just did. He said if he thought they were just going to redistribute the funds from the Douro fourth line he never would have made a motion to remove it from the second draft.
Deputy mayor Nelson moved to adopt the budget as revised.
The motion passed.
