Grey County administration building in Owen Sound. (Matt Hermiz/Bayshore Broadcasting News)
Grey County council decided against a recommended “holiday” for industrial development charges, for now.
County council voted down a staff recommendation during its committee of the whole meeting Sept. 25 to reduce the industrial portion of non-residential development charges to zero for this year and 2026.
Staff proposed having the county forego collecting industrial development charges as a way to spur investment in employment-producing activities in Grey County.
“It’s another potential layer that we can help to spur further industrial development growth, to help attract more employment opportunities within Grey County,” says Grey County’s Chief Administrative Officer Randy Scherzer. “That’s going to be fundamental. As we look at our demographics, as we look at our growth projections, we’re going to need a workforce age population coming into our communities in order to sustain our communities. This we think is just one added bonus layer that we can potentially offer, that’s in our sphere of control.”
According to a staff report, Grey County only implemented non-residential industrial development charges in 2022. The county collected $79,000 of industrial development charges in 2024, and $17,000 in 2023. About 95 per cent of those dollars are allocated towards road and related work.
While county council voted down the “holiday” for non-residential industrial development charges now, it is an issue that could be re-visited when it completes its next development charges by-law review. Currently, that is scheduled to happen next year.
“I am not a supporter of development charges at all … but I think the time (is when) you’re doing the study,” Owen Sound Deputy Mayor and County Councillor Scott Greig says. “Once you’ve adopted the study, that’s the template everyone has to follow.”