The County of Huron passed it's 2026 budget last week and the upper-tier municipality will see a reduction in events and services as a result of cuts made to lower the tax rate.
Even after opting to eliminate 13 non-union staff positions, the tax levy will still increase 4.55 per cent in 2026. For Huron County residents, the tax rate will increase is 2.78 per cent compared to 2025.
Warden Jamie Heffer says as a result of these difficult decisions, 19 programs and events will be significantly scaled back or cancelled.
"The Multicultural Festival, the Main Street Arts Festival, Jane's Walks, Cultural Summit: those things will not be going forward," he said. "The 13 non-union staffing positions are certainly going to have an impact on a reduction of services... and some will not be able to proceed at all.
The County said it will work collaboratively with partners as these changes take effect.
Huron County also announced its participation in the Counties EV Charger Network, the Huron Stewardship Council, the Healthy Lake Huron Steering Committee and the County Climate Action Plan would no longer be possible.
It will also see reduced support for sector organizations such as Huron Manufacturing Association.
"These decisions were not made lightly," said Heffer. "While the tough choices made in this budget will impact some County services, the 2026 Budget reflects a responsible, forward-looking approach that will strengthen the County of Huron’s ability to serve our community well into the future."
Heffer said the focus of the budget was around cutting non-core services, as staff said maintaining service levels would lead to increased spending in years to come.
He noted the core services the County does provide are costly, and support from the province would go along way.
"Our core services just require so much of us," said Heffer. "The responsibilities that we have in Paramedics and the old age homes and looking after those certainly take a lot of dollars in funding. If the province could help us in any way, we'd welcome that, but the trend seems to be more offloading than ramping up."
In his budget notes, Treasurer Michael Blumhagen noted that homes labour is rapidly outpacing the increases in provincial funding and without changes, it will no longer be feasible for the County to operate two Homes for the Aged.
