County of Essex proposing 2.65% tax rate increase for 2026

Essex County administration building. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)

The County of Essex has released its 2026 draft budget and it calls for a tax rate increase of 2.65 per cent, or $5,672,860.

Operations are budgeted to require $96.8 million while capital projects are budgeted to require $48.9 million.

Of the total budget increase, approximately $4 million is allocated to contractual salary and benefit increases. Most of the remaining increases are driven by inflationary pressures.

Other increases include $1.2 million for community services, a 4.37 per cent increase in emergency services at over $18 million in the 2026 budget, $54.3 million set aside for infrastructure and planning services representing a 3.4 per cent increase from last year, $7.17 million for the Essex County Library representing a 2.3 per cent increase over 2025, among other increases.

Some of the main capital projects within the draft budget include Phase of the County Road 42/43 to advance the roadways between the roundabouts at Manning and Banwell, improvements to the County Road 19/22 intersection, and the State of Good Repair program aimed at increasing investment in drainage related infrastructure and bridge/culvert rehabilitation.

Melissa Ryan, director of financial services/rreasurer with the County of Essex, says the budget includes money to be set aside for the new acute care hospital.

“This year I believe we are increasing it by over $7.5 million that will go toward that pot of money. So the original and approved motion was to fund up to $100-million, and we are working towards that goal so that we won’t have to take on debt to be able to pay that off.”

She says the increase for the Essex County Library was mainly contractual.

“That was the main driver, the library really didn’t put in any business cases for any increases, it was just really the contractual wage increases as well as some inflationary pressures on digital media, and things of that sort.”

Ryan says earlier this year county council members voted to increased their salaries, aligning with other local municipalities.

“Now we’ve lined it up with current practices across other municipalities, so there was a wage increase for our councillors, which occurred in the beginning of the year. So, it was after budget, so now in the 2026 budget you will see that increase.”

The proposed 2026 Budget is now available for review on the County of Essex website.

Essex County Council will begin deliberating the proposed budget on Dec. 3 at 9 a.m.

The 2025 budget saw a tax levy increase of 3.76 per cent or $7,993,190.