Wollaston preliminary budget proposes 6.97 tax increase

February 26, 2026

By Bill Kilpatrick, reporter

At the Feb. 10 meeting of Wollaston Council, the Treasurer Matt Walker presented the first draft of the 2026 Wollaston Township budget to council as part of his Treasurer’s report. The preliminary budget is proposing a 6.97 per cent increase to property taxes. The initial draft was accepted as information by council virtually without comment other than Councillor Sheila Currie who thanked Walker for having a draft budget out so early. “It’s really good to see this earlier in the year,” she stated. “It gives us a better jump on discussion.”

While the draft budget was accepted as information, that does not mean that the budget was approved by council as there are still many changes to be made and information that council is waiting on. Wollaston Mayor Michael Fuerth along with Walker suggested that a public meeting be held so constituents could ask questions and get clarification about the budget before it’s passed, but no date was settled on. Walker also suggested that before council’s approval of the budget he recommended hearing from their auditors at Baker-Tilly regarding the township’s reserves. “We’re going to have a positive reserve picture,” Walker told council. “The accountants [Baker-Tilly] are going to bring that picture back and I think it’s important we wait before finalizing the budget, to really understand what our reserve picture is going to look like.”

Council is also waiting to hear back from the County of Hastings regarding what their levy is going to be. Mayor Fuerth believed that they should have that number by the end of the month when they finalize their budget. During the meeting there were multiple other budget items that council added to the draft budget, such as two requests: one from Coe Hill Legion Branch 581 for a donation towards a new generator that is estimated to cost $16,000, and a $5,000 donation request from the Tri-Township Community Food Basket. While these items were added to the preliminary budget council has yet to decide if they are going to fund the full amount of each request.

Also added to the budget were two capital projects that were included in the 2026 capital projects report submitted to council by the Superintendent of Public Works, Matt Kehoe. While the report outlined multiple projects that needed to be completed, the two that were recommended by Kehoe to be funded through the 2026 operations budget were the Steenburg Lake Road project at a cost of $215,000 and the Robertson Lane project at $75,000. Kehoe’s report stated that, regarding the two recommended projects, “deferral of these projects increases the risk of accelerated infrastructure deterioration, higher future repair costs, and potential safety concerns.” The remaining projects, stated Kehoe, should be “financed through the 2026 capital budget, multi-year capital planning, and grant opportunities” where they are available.

Some highlights from the draft budget include an increase in revenues that should help offset some of the rising costs for the municipality. For example, the Ontario Municipal Partnership Funding has increased from $1,030,500 in 2025 to $1,126,400, and the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund increased from $100,000 in 2025 to $125,000 for 2026. However, despite these increases the preliminary budget is estimating a lower revenue than was budgeted for in 2025. The 2025 approved budget expected to bring in revenue of $1,803,270.45, but as of Dec. 31 the actual revenue is sitting at $1,439,345.25, a difference of $363,925. The 2026 budget estimates a total revenue of $1,628,540 for the year.

Other highlights include a substantial drop in both legal fees and consulting fees from 2024 to 2025. In 2024, the township estimated that they would spend $80,000 on legal fees and ended up spending $141,438.13. In 2025, they budgeted $80,000 dollars again, but as of Dec.31, the township has only spent $46,774.56 or roughly 58 per cent of the budgeted amount. For 2026, the township is budgeting $55,000 for legal fees. In terms of consulting fees, the township budgeted $71,000 in 2024 and ended up spending $166,645.27, more than double the budgeted amount. In 2025, the treasurer budgeted $30,000 for consulting fees, and the township, as of Dec. 31, has only spent $5,128.72, a reduction of $161,516.55 from 2024.

OPP costs are also expected to continue to rise in 2026. In 2025, the township budgeted $302,059, and as of Dec. 31, the township has spent $322,229.73. For 2026, the budgeted amount for OPP costs is $336,445. The fire department budget is also seeing an increase from 2025. The fire department budgeted $218,586.83 for 2025, but as of Dec. 31, they have only spent $167,269.31, however for 2026, they are budgeting $260,208.47, an increase of $41,621.64.

The roads department is looking at a reduction in costs for administration, but a substantial increase in capital project costs over the 2025 costs. In 2025, the roads department budgeted $874,269.37 for administrative costs, and as of Dec. 31, they have spent $764,932.65. As a result, they have lowered their budget estimate for 2026 to $793,041.68. In terms of capital projects, the roads department budgeted $381,614.03, and as of Dec. 31, they have spent $288,888.19. For 2026, the budgeted amount for capital projects is estimated at $569,856.42, mainly due to the two aforementioned projects on Steenburg Lake Road and Robertson Lane.

It’s important to point out that this is a developing story as the budget deliberations are in their very early stages and will most likely change as Wollaston council sets its priorities for 2026.