Council this Week: Highlights from the June 11 County Council agenda - 20250611

06/06/2025

2026 Budget survey, audited financial statements, asset management, green bin containers and more

County Council meetings are broadcast live at www.oxfordcounty.ca/livestream. To download the full agenda or view past recordings of council meetings, visit www.oxfordcounty.ca/council.

2026 Budget survey and budget meeting schedule

The proposed schedule for Oxford County’s 2026 budget meetings is before County Council on June 11:

Special Council Meeting 1: Thursday, November 13, 2025 - 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Special Council Meeting 2: Monday, November 24, 2025 - 9:30 am - 12:00 pm
Budget presented for approval at regular Council Meeting: December 10, 2025 - 9:30 am

With Council approval, Oxford County’s 2026 Budget survey will also open on June 11 in partnership with participating area municipalities (Blandford-Blenheim, Norwich, South-West Oxford, Tillsonburg and Zorra). The survey is an opportunity for residents to learn more about municipal services and share their thoughts on where councils should prioritize funding and service levels. The survey is open June 11 to August 29, 2025, at www.oxfordcounty.ca/speakup.

CS 2025-20 – 2026 Draft Budget Schedule and Budget Survey

Audited Financial Statements

Oxford County’s 2024 Audited Financial Statements show the County ended 2024 with an operating budget deficit of $3.31 million. The deficit is the result of $7.4 million in non-statutory development charge exemptions for water and wastewater services funded by each system’s reserve, primarily for Woodstock, Tillsonburg and Ingersoll.

In response to the 2024 year-end projections of the non-statutory development charge exemption for industrial development in the County, County Council passed a resolution at the November 13, 2024, meeting directing staff to take all necessary steps to amend the development charge policy and by-law to remove the non-statutory exemption related to industrial development. This mitigates further deterioration of the water and wastewater reserves and the need to substantially increase rates in response to non-statutory development charge exemptions for industrial development. The 2024 Audited Financial Statements indicate the consolidated reserve balances for all water and wastewater reserves is $106.1 million.

The general levy budget and the Library levy budget resulted in year-end surpluses of $482,066 and $295,523 respectively, while the program specific budgets ended the year with an overall surplus of $1.9 million, mostly related to delays in the affordable housing program.

The report to County Council includes progress on the County’s Long-Term Financial Sustainability Plan, which looks at a number of performance measures to assess financial condition and financial sustainability. The overall financial statements, together with the sustainability measures, show the County is well positioned in the short and mid-term to meet its service and financial obligations.

CS 2025-18 – 2024 Audited Financial Statements | 2024 Consolidated Financial Statements

Contract for green bin containers

County Council will be asked to approve a contract award next council meeting for the green bin containers that will be used in Oxford County’s new organics program. Every household currently receiving municipal garbage collection will receive one 45-litre green bin and one kitchen container at no cost. Distribution will begin in the fall of 2025 for South-West Oxford and Woodstock along with an information kit about the organics/green bin program. The remaining municipalities will receive their containers in early 2027 ahead of their program start date. Organics collection starts in January 2026 in South-West Oxford and Woodstock, and then in May 2027 for Blandford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Ingersoll, Norwich, Tillsonburg and Zorra.

The contract award also includes containers to be used in the new recycling program for business, commercial and institutional properties no longer eligible for curbside recycling collection under Ontario’s Circular Materials program after January 1, 2026. County Council approved the new program last December to provide service to these groups.

PW 2025-36: Contract Award – Supply and Distribution of Curbside Collection Containers

2025 Asset Management Plan

The 2025 Asset Management Plan is before County Council next council meeting. The plan has been updated from 2024 to include proposed levels of service for each category of asset and a corresponding financial strategy to achieve that service expectation. Levels of service are determined by considering infrastructure risks, lifecycle, performance expectations, and ongoing costs. The report notes that significant investment in infrastructure is needed to maintain the County’s assets in a sustainable manner.

Asset Management is the process of managing a municipality’s physical infrastructure-- such as roads, water and wastewater systems, buildings and more—so they are reliable, efficient, and sustainable into the future. The replacement value of the County’s assets (excluding natural assets) is $3.95 billion: 26% is related to wastewater; 24% to water; 26% to the transportation network; 11% to bridges and structural culverts; 4% to the stormwater network; with the remaining 9% related to the other services, including facilities, information technology, fleet and equipment, waste management, housing, long-term care, paramedic services and library.

CS 2025-19 - 2025 Asset Management Plan

Response to Bill 17 - Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025

County Council receives an update next meeting on Bill 17 - Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025, which has a stated aim of “reducing municipal requirements that impede housing development.” The staff report provides an overview of the proposed legislative changes and notes that they could have profound impacts on land use planning and other matters in Oxford County, and the Province as a whole, potentially affecting zoning setbacks and other standards, complete application and study requirements under the Planning Act, development charges, and more. The report asks for Council’s approval to submit comments as part of the Bill’s consultation process to inform the provincial government of matters of local interest and/or concern, and to suggest potential alternative approaches that may better achieve shared provincial and municipal goals for supporting housing development.

CP 2025-158 - Bill 17 and Proposed Related Regulatory Changes

Questions or comments?

Council this Week previews the Oxford County Council meeting agenda for residents, community partners and employees. Please send your questions and comments to communications@oxfordcounty.ca