Norfolk’s property taxes up 4.3%

By Jacob Fehr

Norfolk’s Budget Committee reviewed the Proposed 2025 Levy Operating Budget and, after some amendments, recommended its adoption.

The budget sees a 6.1 per cent levy increase over 2024, which will mean an average residential property tax increase of 4.3 per cent. This increase amounts to an additional $155.48 in property tax for the median assessed residential property in the county, which is valued at $240,000.

“‘Okay,’ so a resident may ask, ‘what do we get for that 4 per cent?’” Norfolk’s treasurer Amy Fanning said to councillors.

“Thanks to some additional funding from the province and some hard work by staff, this budget includes six new budget initiatives aimed at providing better service, increased capability to care for the county’s assets, and improved operations.

“Finally, and critically from a finance perspective, this budget represents increased investment in infrastructure funding, which is essential to maintaining the county’s capital assets and continuing progress toward improved financial sustainability.

“It is also important to note that this budget is well below our initial estimates but no services are cut in this proposed budget. We recognize that affordability is a concern and a challenge for residents and we understand the difficulty in balancing the need to provide service while maintaining affordability.”

An increase in infrastructure funds was the most significant factor driving the rising rate. In 2025, Norfolk will collect an additional $5.1-million for infrastructure to reduce its need to dip into reserve funds and service costs of debt. Council greenlit the increase at its Capital Budget meeting last fall.

Six new budget initiatives (NBIs) and eight other council-approved initiatives (CAIs) also contributed to the levy increase. Excluding the funding for infrastructure, the NBIs and CAIs are estimated to cost around $2.5-million.

The committee did not approve Norfolk County Public Library’s three requests for funding for new staff, which totalled $297,200.

Mayor Amy Martin said of the budget that “it needs to be emphasized that it really prioritizes those core services of public safety, health and social services, and environmental sustainability, and obviously infrastructure.”

However, the mayor also cautioned that the lower than expected decrease in taxes was only possible due to provincial funding the county can’t count on every year, such as the $2.2-million received to assist with increased policing costs. “We still have a lot of work to do as we prepare for future years,” Mayor Martin said.

Originally printed in The Good News, February 2025.