Property taxes are one of the most common concerns I hear from residents across Haldimand.
Controlling spending matters, but there is another part of the equation we need to address: Haldimand relies too heavily on residential property taxes.
The latest County tax policy report shows that 79.42% of Haldimand’s property tax burden is carried by the residential class, up from 78.86% the previous year. Put simply, for every $100 of property tax burden across Haldimand, about $79 is carried by residential properties.
That is too high.
My long-term goal is to bring the residential share down toward 70% by growing Haldimand’s commercial and industrial tax base.
The annual BMA Municipal Study provides some useful context. Using its weighted assessment measure, Haldimand is 78.2% residential. Brant is 72.4%, Kincardine 69.6%, and Chatham-Kent 62.9%. Norfolk, at 79.9%, has a residential reliance similar to ours. The calculation is slightly different from the County’s tax-burden figure, but both measurements tell the same story: Haldimand depends heavily on residential property.
Getting closer to 70% will require more than hoping commercial growth eventually materializes.
Haldimand needs to actively recruit commercial and industrial investment.
We should be identifying businesses and industries that fit Haldimand, promoting our available employment lands, working with investors and making a serious effort to bring new assessment and new jobs into the County.
We also need to pay much closer attention to businesses already here. When an existing Haldimand business wants to expand its building, add production, hire more employees or make a major investment, the County should be helping move that investment forward wherever reasonably possible.
Every new commercial building, industrial facility or business expansion helps broaden the tax base.
A 70% residential target does not mean someone’s property tax bill suddenly drops by 9.4%. It means building a healthier balance so that, over time, the growing cost of municipal services is spread across a much broader tax base instead of continuing to rely so heavily on residential properties.
That matters for another reason.
Residents have been asking for amenities such as an indoor pool for decades. Other desires include splash pads, improved parks, recreation facilities, and an enhanced trails network.
Those items cost money to build, but they also come with ongoing yearly costs to operate and maintain.
If we want to provide more of the amenities residents have been asking for without continually putting the cost onto homeowners, we need to grow the other side of the tax base.
Economic development and property taxes are directly connected.
I want Haldimand actively competing for investment, supporting the businesses already here and steadily moving toward a healthier balance between residential, commercial and industrial taxpayers.
My target is 70%.
That means more businesses, more local employment, more capacity to invest in our communities and less pressure on Haldimand County’s residential taxpayers.
