A picture of Town Hall in the Town of Orangeville

The Town of Orangeville strives to be accountable to taxpayers through open and transparent budget and financial reporting. Your tax dollars go toward providing quality services valued by the Orangeville community.

2024 Budget

Each year, we develop a budget to meet our community needs. The 2024 Budget includes a net tax levy of 4.5 per cent, or $145 annually for the average property owner. 

2024 Budget

Key Capital Projects for 2024

• Continuation of the Trail Development Plan

• Rotary Park upgrades (incl. play structure)

• Reconstruction of:

o Victoria Street

o Ontario Street

o Cardwell Street

• Phase 1 Mill Creek Stabilization

• Water Meter and Billing Upgrade

• Well Treatment - GUDI Upgrade

• Digester Number 2 Refurbishment

• Clarifier 3 Centre Unit

2024 Capital Project Deferrals

Some deferrals were made across the 10-year Capital Plan, which generated over $43M in cost reductions. These deferrals were deemed necessary by staff given the fiscal circumstances of the municipality. These projects would be returned to the 10-year Capital Plan when a long-term sustainable financial plan is in-place. Some of the notable deferrals are noted below:

• SCADA System Upgrades

• Watermain Rehabilitation Program

• Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Program

• Road Resurfacing Program Enhancements

• Operations Centre 3-Bay Expansion

• Alder Library Expansion

• Rotary Park Redevelopment

2024 Municipal Budget Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions or looking for more information on the 2024 Municipal Budget? Check out the FAQ below. For more information or to inquire about something not covered in the FAQ, email us at [email protected].

Why are the taxes higher in Orangeville than some of our neighbouring municipalities?

The Town of Orangeville provides a high level of services and breadth of services, including free public transportation, stand-alone library services, policing services, and additional recreation services(ex. smaller program ratios).

The tax-base for the budget is shared between residents and local industry such as businesses, commercial property owners, and industrial operations. Traditionally, Orangeville has been a bedroom community, leading to lower industry presence, placing a higher tax burden on the residential levy.

If the Canadian inflation rate was 3.1% over the past 12 months, why is this year’s tax levy increase above inflation?

While the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was at 3.1% when the budget was passed, it is not reflective of breadth of capital and operational expenses incurred by a municipality. The CPI relates to the inflations of costs for food, shelter, household operations, furnishings and equipment, clothing, transportation, and more. 

Municipal expenses, such as steel supplies, asphalt and more, are better reflected within the Non-Residential Building Construction Price Index (NRBCPI), which was at 6.57% for Q3 of 2023.

When the Town transitioned to the Ontario Provincial Police, we were promised savings that the Town hasn’t seen yet. When will we start seeing savings?
During the first three years, the Town of Orangeville was on a transitional billing model. 2024 is the first year on the new contract pricing model, which is anticipated to generate an approximate annual savings of $4 million. With these funds, the Town has been catch-up on funding allocations within the budget, in particular to capital and reserve funds, and lessen the anticipated impact on the tax levy in future years.
If the budget needs to be in line with inflation, why did Council pass lower budgets in the previous two terms?

The Town established budgets that trended below inflation for the past number of years as a method to control the impact on the tax base during the OPP transition. This was only achieved through reliance upon a number of non-sustainable revenue streams (ex.tax stabilization reserve transfers), which have been recalibrated in this years budget (note: Answer #3)

In addition, those budgets resulted in continued growth of the Town’s infrastructure funding gap, as many projects were deferred to future years; that gap needs to be closed. As infrastructure continues to age, funds must be committed to proper maintenance, repair and replacement. This budget has been carefully considered to identify the high-priority projects and defer only those that can be, in order to limit debt loads.

In addition, the savings generated through the OPP transition enabled the Town to begin increasing annual funding dedicated towards infrastructure repair and replacement. Continued growth within the Town’s asset management program will help to identify the appropriate level of annual funding to support long-term infrastructure requirements.

Was assessment growth factored into the budget?
While the Town of Orangeville has been growing, assessment growth has been relatively slow in recent years. Growth is projected at 0.5% for 2024, which would generate just shy of $200,000. This will not have a large impact on the levy.
If the average property tax levy increased by 4.50% or $145, why did my taxes increase by a higher percentage and higher dollar value?

The levy increase of 4.50% or $145 relates only to the Town of Orangeville’s share of property taxes collected. The Town also collects on behalf of County of Dufferin and the various School Boards in the area and both organizations determine their own levy amounts. The Town does not have control over how much the increase will be on their share of property taxes collected from residents. The 4.50% applies only to 61% of your average annual tax bill, not the entire amount (see table below regarding Tax Distribution by Jurisdiction)

The 4.50% increase is the increase to the total levy requirement for the Town. The distribution of taxes will vary based upon assessment and tax ratios. Some residents will see the Orangeville proportion of their tax bill increase by more than 4.50% and some by less than 4.50%, dependent upon their tax class and any in-year changes in assessment value.

Where does the average tax dollar get spent? 

The graphics below describe the distribution of the average tax dollar. The first graphic shows the distribution of each tax dollar across the three (3) jurisdictions: Town, County and School Boards. The next graphic outlines distribution of the Town’s proportion of tax revenue across Operating, Capital / Reserves and Debt. The final graphic depicts the distribution of the Town’s proportion of tax revenue by service delivery area.

 

A graph depicting where tax dollars are distributed based on jurisdiction. The graph indicates that for every municipal tax dollar, $0.61 goes to the Town, $0.28 to Dufferin County, and $0.11 to the school board.

A graph depicting tax dollar distribution based on funds. According to the graph, from every tax dollar $0.78 goes to the operations budget, $0.16 to the Capital and Reserves budget, and $0.06 goes to debt repayment.

A graph depicting tax dollar distribution by service area. Of every tax dollar: $0.20 goes to Community Services, $0.18 to Infrastructure Services, $0.15 to Corporate Services, $0.10 to Fire Services, $0.10 to OPP, $0.08 transferred to reserves, $0.08 transferred to Capital budget, $0.06 to Debt Servicing Costs. The remaining $0.05 is split between Administration, Council and Committees, and the CVCA.

Past budgets

Review past budgets for the Town of Orangeville:

Financial reports

Orangeville's financial reports are always available for your review. View our current and past financial reports:

Financial Information Returns