Hastings County Community and Human Services committee is proposing a budget increase of close to five per cent for 2022.
The staff report before the committee indicated the challenge facing the department is the increasing demand for services and the lack of funding to support these services.
Both the Provincial and Federal governments provided funding during the pandemic to address the challenges and gaps in service resulting from COVID-19.
Moving out of the pandemic and toward recovery leaves the challenge that many of the issues that were identified during the pandemic will continue without a permanent funding source.
The report indicated that another challenge which is contributing to the increase in the budget is maintaining the aging housing stock.
Committee member, Councillor Bill Sandison, objected to the increase saying it will create undue hardship for local residents.
“Each and every year our best guess is always under spent by a half a million dollars. So we get neighbouring municipalities and ourselves scrutinizing our own internal budget and trying to minimize the impact on our residents, he said.
“I know in Quinte West they’re struggling trying to keep the budget somewhere at two or three per cent. When we see a five per cent increase in Community and Human Services you know that’s not an insignificant amount.”
Commenting on the possible $600,000 surplus, Belleville Councillor Chris Malette asked if it was “a padded budget” but was assured by staff that it was not.
Quinte West Councillor Terry Cassidy stated, “‘It is a responsible budget.”
“To have less than one per cent of a surplus means we budgeted very well because the alternative of not having a surplus, folks, is having a deficit and that’s much more difficult to manage.”
Belleville Councillor Garnet Thompson said, “One per cent is a small surplus to support housing which is one of our main concerns.”
Thmpson called for an explanation at the end of the year as to why there was a surplus and how to use that surplus.
Thmpson called for an explanation at the end of the year as to why there was a surplus and how to use that surplus.
The committee approved the 4.89 per cent and the recommended budget goes to Hastings County Council later this month.
