The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is welcoming extra cash from the province to enhance companies and infrastructure and help tasks.
The municipality is getting $21,545,200 this yr via the 2025 Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) that was introduced in November. That quantities to a 12 per cent increase over final yr’s allocation of $19,256,500.
Chatham-Kent Chief Monetary Officer Gord Quinton advised CK Information At present the elevated funding was very useful in assuaging among the strain the municipality is dealing with as a result of housing disaster and rising infrastructure prices attributable to inflation.
“Chatham-Kent Council obtained this info in the course of the 2025 price range deliberations course of and this announcement of the return to the pre-2018 stage of funding of the OMPF was key in helping Council in getting the tax improve under 5%, offsetting among the pressures of homelessness response prices and inflation affect of infrastructure renewal,” Quinton stated.
The property tax improve in Chatham-Kent was formally set at 4.99 per cent on November 27, 2024.
Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Steve Pinsonneault stated the funding increase will improve the lives of residents.
On November 22, 2024, the province introduced it was growing the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund by $100 million over two years, bringing the overall funding to $600 million by 2026.
The OMPF is the province’s foremost common help grant to municipalities.
The provincial authorities stated this yr’s complete OMPF funding elevated by $50 million to 390 municipalities, including the funding bump has been focused to small, Northern and rural municipalities and people with a restricted property tax base.
The province stated the intention is to help municipalities to allow them to present essential municipal companies to folks throughout the province.
“We have heard from small, Northern, and rural municipalities that they need more support to meet the financial challenges they face in delivering services to their communities,” stated Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy. “Municipalities are critical partners in delivering important local services and we will continue working together to build more homes, support economic growth and strengthen Ontario’s communities in a way that is sustainable and responsible.”
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra stated the province won’t go away any a part of the province behind as “we work along with our municipal companions to create stronger communities.”
Minister of Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson famous this funding “will allow small cities and rural communities to thrive and prosper.”
