Whereas the 2024 Business Plan and Budget Review – 3rd Quarter states “The total estimated exemptions for 2024 are approximately $13.7 million, as illustrated in Table 1, compared to the final 2023 exemptions of just under $2.1 million. Of the $13.7 million forecast, approximately 85% or $11.6 million is the estimated non-statutory exemptions with the remaining 15% or $2.1 million representing the estimated statutory exemptions.”; and,
Whereas development charge exemptions are required to be funded by sources of revenue other than development charges placing the cost burden on all County taxpayers; and,
Whereas based on development charge exemptions projected in 2025, the draft budget includes an estimated $5.4 million or approximately 5.8% increase in the 2025 tax levy; and,
Whereas without the non-statutory exemptions industrial developments would still receive statutory exemptions; and,
Whereas Oxford County residents are already experiencing consequences of the current rate of growth such as:
Homelessness
Mental health supports
Addiction supports
Encampment responses
Housing availability and attainability
Lack of primary medical care
Lack of adequate school spaces
Growth pressure on green space and agricultural land; and,
Whereas non-statutory industrial development charge exemptions are incentivizing more of that growth and exacerbating those pressures and already inadequate services;
Therefore be it resolved that staff be directed to take all necessary steps to amend the development charge policy and by-law at the earliest possible date to remove the non-statutory exemption related to industrial buildings, recognizing the statutory exemption for a maximum of 50% of the gross floor enlargement of the existing building will continue to apply, and will allow for the funding provision for the non-statutory exemption to be removed from the draft 2025 budget; and,
Further, that staff be directed to review the County’s Community Improvement Plan (CIP) and the Area Municipal Community Improvement Plans and report back to Council in the first quarter of 2025 regarding the use and effect of the current CIP policies in terms of supporting shared community development objectives and associated fiscal implications to assess ongoing and future effectiveness.