Prince Edward County Council has began discussing the 2026 draft budget this evening at Shire Hall.
The meeting began with a deputation from Barbara Sweet and Sandy Murray regarding the County of Prince Edward Public Library & Archives Budget. The six library branches include Picton, Wellington, Bloomfield, Ameliasburgh, Consecon, and Milford.
They shared details about how the libraries are well received by the public, the upgrades to the Picton and Bloomfield branches, and how the Wellington and Consecon branches upgrades will be their primary focus of 2026.
Additionally, they asked for a budget increase of $49,461 to cover wages, benefits, collection, repairs and maintenance, utilities and telephone, insurance, support fees, etc. The 2025 budget was $1,981,813, and they are requesting the 2026 budget to be $2,031,274.
The deputation was received by Council.
Following comments from the audience on items of the agenda, Interim Chief Administrative Officer, Adam Goheen and Director of Finance & Information Technology / Treasurer, Arryn McNichol, presented an overview of the 2026 Capital and Operating Budget projections.
The proposed 2026 tax levy is 11%, broken down as follows:
7.3% for Asset Management Plan lifecycle capital fund
3.7% for labour, inflation, and service pressures
The impact on the average homeowner in Prince Edward County is an annual increase of $270.56 ($22.55 per month) and an impact of $101.34 per $100,000 of assessment.
The 2026 proposed Capital Budget is $30,217,819, of which $22,773,705 is tax-supported and $7,444,114 is rate-supported (water/wastewater). The capital plan focuses on the highest-risk, highest-impact infrastructure.
It was stated that deferring the capital investment would result in accelerated deterioration of roads, bridges shifting from rehabilitation to full replacement, increased risk of water and wastewater system failures, higher long-term borrowing costs, increased ongoing maintenance costs, reduced service levels, greater safety and environmental risks, and larger financial burden placed on future generations.
A full view of the proposed budget can be viewed here.
Members of Council were split on the 11% tax levy. The matter will continue to be discussed on Dec 2 and Dec 3 at Shire Hall.
Council will meet again at 9am on both days.
