Grey County will discuss the 2020 budget Friday (7th) at a special Committee of the Whole meeting.
A county staff report estimates Grey County will need to raise $59.8 million through taxes this year.
The total estimated cost of running the county, its programs and projects when you combine the operating and capital budgets is estimated to be $157.5 million.
Staff say the County is actually experiencing unprecedented growth and investment.
New assessment growth of $1.8 million is included in County revenue, bringing the suggested net levy increase for 2020 to 1.26 per cent or $741,083.
That would be $4.48 for every $100,000 of assessed property value.
Long Term Care expenses along with Ontario Works and Childcare costs take up the largest portions of the operating budget (about $29 million each) followed by Affordable Housing at about $19 million.
It is suggested the largest chunk of the capital budget should go to transportation services at $20.7 million. Three quarters of that money is proposed for road construction and resurfacing projects.
The County supports 316 long-term care beds, 997 affordable housing units, responds to over 24,000 calls to paramedics, maintains over 1,654 kilometres of lane roads and 192 bridges.
Key things in this year's proposed budget include $15 million on roads, developing a corporate asset management plan, roof repairs at Grey Roots, prepping for a new public works depot, replacing two ambulances and a few public works trucks.
The County is looking at hiring a manger of organizational development and moving a contract position person to full-time in the planning department to support the Climate Change Action Plan as well as the Age-Friendly Communities Strategic plan.
Other initiatives the county is highlighting this year include building a 54 unit affordable housing apartment building in Owen Sound, the new, provincially mandated Community Safety and Well Being Plan, a new agritourism campaign called “Gather,” adding more staff hours in long-term care homes and expanding the Community Paramedicine home visitation program to seven days a week.