As the year comes to an end, many municipalities are starting their budget processes for 2026. During these discussions, Otonabee Conservation (ORCA), which covers watershed areas in both Douro Dummer and Selwyn, will have impacts on local tax bases.
Last month, Janette Loveys Smith, CAO for ORCA presented to Douro Dummer and explained the impact that ORCA’s budget will present on Douro Dummer resident’s tax bills.
Loveys-Smith said that this year, while ORCA has a zero per cent increase for their operating budget, they do have a 7.4 per cent increase for their Capital Budget.
Operating budgets typically support short-term expenses like payroll and impact day-to-day business decisions while a capital budget supports long-term investments like equipment or software.
The 7.4 per cent increase equals an additional $115,000 for a total budget of $1,652,757 which will be spread out between the eight municipalities ORCA services.
The portion paid by each municipality is calculated by population of the serviced area. This means that the city of Peterborough and township of Selwyn are the two highest paying municipalities for ORCA with Douro Dummer coming in third highest.
Douro Dummer will be paying a total of $123,982 which is a 7.5 per cent increase over last year or $8,627 more than in 2025. This will mean a 0.1 per cent tax impact for residents.
Loveys Smith said, “The proposed 2026 capital budget is $115,000, distributed across eight member municipalities. The primary focus for 2026 is the decommissioning of legacy assets in conservation areas that have reached the end of their lifecycle. If these assets are not addressed, they will continue to pose increasing liability and risk to the authority.”
Some increases to the budget she explained comes from decommissioning old assets like pit toilets or gate houses that have become unsafe or vandalized and that need certain types of equipment to fix or remove.
The 2025 March Ice storm also had significant impacts on the ORCA budget as it caused nearly $250,000 in damages with the Warsaw Caves having one of the most significant amount of damage done. ORCA was able to do a lot of the cleanup themselves, however specialized arborists were needed in some situations to safely remove fallen trees. Loveys Smith said that clean-up from this major weather event are still taking place though they are close to the finish line.
After Loveys Smiths presentation, councilors had the opportunity to ask questions and get clarification on the budget if needed.
Coun. Ray Johnston asked if the township had any say in how much they would pay or if this was a cut and dry discussion where ORCA has decided what the budget is and the township would just have to pay it regardless.
Loveys-Smith explained that the conservation authority board is responsible for creating the budget. That budget is then circulated to all member municipalities for comments. Those comments then go back to the board for review at which point the board is able to make a decision if the budget should be changed or stay the same.
This means that while the township does not have the final decision on the budget, they are still able to give feedback and suggestions.
The presentation on the 2026 ORCA budget updates for Douro Dummer were received for information.
The next Douro Dummer Budget meeting will be held on November 18, 2025.
