Setting Priorities for Municipal Services, Programs and Infrastructure
The municipal budget is a key policy and planning document that outlines our municipality’s priorities for services, programs and infrastructure. Setting the budget is a balancing act between often competing priorities – providing the high level of services that residents deserve and expect versus what we can afford.
Each year, municipal staff put forward a draft preliminary budget for comment. There are two parts – the operations budget that covers the day-to-day services of the municipality, and the capital budget that covers large infrastructure and other long-term projects. The Mayor and Council, with input from Middlesex Centre residents and businesses, make choices about what municipal services, programs and infrastructure projects should be included in the budget.
- Process for Developing the 2025 Budget
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It takes many months to develop the Middlesex Centre budget.
Public engagement in the budget process starts when the budget development process begins in July, typically with the resident budget survey. Internally, the budget process begins with staff reviewing their department work plans and the Municipal Strategic Plan. From there, staff begin to outline their department’s operating costs and capital requests.
This information is then taken into consideration as the individual department budgets are consolidated and reviewed to determine funding (revenue) sources available and whether additional funds are required to meet the approved budget objectives.
During the fall, the senior management team and two members of Council form an ad hoc (temporary) budget working group. This group discusses the development of the budget in detail and completes a line-by-line budget review.
Once a consolidated and cohesive budget package has been completed, it is presented to Council for their review. The budget package presents the funding and priorities for the coming fiscal year. When the budget has met the approval of Council, a budget by-law is passed.
- Budget Survey - Have your Say!
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We encourage members of the public to get involved in the budget process. This is your chance to tell us what you value and where we should prioritize spending for the coming year.
- The Budget Survey - Thank you to everyone that took the time to respond to the budget survey. The budget survey was open from July 8 to August 25, 2024. Staff presented the results from the survey to Council at their meeting on October 2, 2024. The presentation and the additional written comments are attached below.
- Talk to Us Directly - You don't need to wait for the budget survey to share your thoughts. Please reach out to Tiffany Farrell, Director of Corporate Services, via email or phone at any time.
- Background - Municipal Budget Basics
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In 2020, COVID-19 kept us from holding our traditional public meetings to share information about the budget and how it is created. Instead, Middlesex Centre staff recorded a series of short videos on budget basics. While the dollar figures might be a bit different from year to this year, these videos provide a good overview of how we create the municipal budget and highlight how your tax dollars are spent:
- Budget Basics - A Balancing Act
- Budget Basics - Capital Budget and Asset Management
- Budget Basics - Property Taxes
- Budget Basics - Where your Tax Dollars Go: General Governance
- Budget Basics - Where your Tax Dollars Go: Community Services
- Budget Basics - Where your Tax Dollars Go: Fire Services
- Budget Basics - Where your Tax Dollars Go: Roads
- Budget Basics - Water, Wastewater and Stormwater: While not part of your property taxes, water and wastewater fees are something we often hear about at budget time. Watch this short video to learn a bit more on how your water rates ensure clean drinking water and a healthy environment.
You might also want to review:
- Background - 2024 Municipal Budget
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Council approved the 2024 Budget at their meeting on December 20, 2023.
Middlesex Centre's 2024 Budget received a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Financial Officers Association. This award recognizes municipalities that demonstrate the highest principles of governmental budgeting.
- Background - Open Budget: View the Proposed Municipal Budget
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The Municipality of Middlesex Centre is committed to government accountability and financial transparency. As part of that commitment, we've launched Open Budget - a data visualization tool for displaying financial information.
Open Budget is designed to display the municipal budget in an easy-to-understand format. Through Open Budget, users can learn more about Middlesex Centre's infrastructure projects, capital budget and operating expenditures, and compare budgets year-over-year.
As it is developed, the 2025 Budget will be posted to the Open Budget.
- For More Information
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If you have any questions or comments about the municipal budget, please contact Tiffany Farrell, Director of Corporate Services.