By Emily Stonehouse

Stormy winter weather forced the Dec. 10 regular meeting of county council to shift exclusively to an online platform.

Warden Dave Burton efficiently hopped right into the meeting, bringing forth the finance department’s budget update and approval request. “At council’s direction, staff have updated the 2026 budget to reflect the council liaisons’ recommendations,” said Andrea Robinson, the director of corporate services for the county.

She presented a budget of $26,846,055 which is an increase of $1,860,313 from 2025 and results in a tax rate increase of 4.38 per cent. With the addition of 1.5 per cent for capital levy and 0.5 per cent for the community health and well being levy, results in a total cost to the ratepayer of $17.15 per $100,000 of assessment.

Revisions to the original presented budget on Nov. 26 as per recommendation from council liaisons and county council include the following:

• Decrease the sustainable roads infrastructure program by $500,000
• Decrease the Haliburton County Public Library levy contribution by $336,258
• Fully fund the new Cybersecurity Analyst from the County levy, addition of $62,687
• Adjust the new GIS Technologist from a permanent full time position to a 7 month contract, decrease of $18,987
• Removal of the Industrial Park Road intersection project, deemed to be a 2027 project, zero levy impact
• Decrease of City of Kawartha Lakes ask by $69,461

Robinson noted that based on the discussions at the Nov. 26 meeting, staff are requesting the grant writer/procurement specialist position continue to be included on an 18-month contract, with the intent of this position bringing in new grant monies, at a minimum, to offset any levy impact.

“This grant writer position,” asked county councillor Murray Fearrey, the mayor of Dysart et al. “Does she do anything else besides write grants? That doesn’t seem like a full time job to me, but I could be wrong.”

Robinson clarified that the position will also be designed to “fill in the gaps” for the procurement services as well. “We are also seeing a need for more procurement within corporate services. She confirmed that if the role is not deemed useful in 18-months, the position will be terminated.

Councillor Jennifer Dailloux, the deputy mayor for Algonquin Highlands and vice-chair of the library board, spoke on behalf of the library budget. “It had been my hope to bring forward a counter proposal to the library budget,” she noted. “One that would achieve the goals set out by the county liaisons, but set a less dangerous precedent for the library stake in the levy moving forward.”

Dailloux shared that when the idea was raised to present alternative options for the library budget through a special meeting of the library board, the idea was shut down. “I’m not sure what the harm would have been in exploring the merits of counter proposal,” she said. “I think it would have been in the best interest of the library and the county to have that discussion, even if the outcome had been the same.”

At the special meeting of the library board on Dec. 10, a moderated model of spending the reserves and surplus gradually was presented as an option. While the members of the public on the board voted in favour of this suggestion, sitting council members on the board, including Walt McKechnie, Lisa Schell, and Cec Ryall, and Dave Burton, voted in opposition to the moderated model. Due to the fact that the vote was split, those opposed are named the winners, based on procedural bylaw.

As a result, Dailloux voiced her opposition to the presented budget at the Dec. 10 council meeting.

County CAO Gary Dyke clarified that the library board had an opportunity to respond to the budget suggestions. “They had the opportunity to delegate today,” he shared. “If that was their direction, so I appreciate your comments, councillor, but I think it’s important for everyone to know that it’s not like they were denied the opportunity to respond should they have chosen to do so.”

Dialloux noted that the members of the public on the library board were in favour of coming forward with alternative budget recommendations, but it was the members of county council sitting on the board who voted against the change.

Warden Dave Burton requested a formal vote on the budget recommendations for 2026, which was carried seven to one, with Councillor Dailloux as the only one opposed.

With this motion, the 2026 budget was formally approved, with the proposed rates being set in the new year.