Part 2: Fundraisers, Waste Services, and the 2026 Budget – 01/13/2026

Noise Permit Fee and Community Fundraising

The discussion around waiving the $300 noise permit fee for the Picton Food Bank fundraiser drew near unanimous support, but for slightly different reasons.

Moira Coull, the deputant, set the tone by explaining the amount of legwork volunteers had to do and raising concerns about seniors being asked to provide personal information door to door.

Councillor David Roberts immediately indicated support and offered to move the motion, framing it as a simple way to redirect money back to the food bank.

Councillor Janice Maynard expanded the issue beyond the single event. She focused on how the noise bylaw process could unintentionally put seniors at risk and pushed for staff to review whether community fundraisers should be treated differently under the fees and charges bylaw.

Councillor Brad Nieman questioned why an indoor event during permitted hours required a noise permit at all and later supported broadening the review to include the noise bylaw itself.

Councillor Sam Grosso voiced strong appreciation for volunteer work across the County and noted that food insecurity is not limited to one area.

Councillor Roy Pennell and Councillor Phil St-Jean both supported the waiver, emphasizing that volunteer driven fundraising is filling real gaps in community support.

The motion passed with full support. Council agreed to waive the fee for this event and directed staff to return with recommendations on allowing fee waivers for future community fundraisers.

© PEC Council (YouTube)

View the entire PEC Council Meeting; or view our recap.

Waste Services and Curbside Collection

Waste services prompted a more practical and cost focused discussion. On the transfer of surplus funds from the dissolved Centre and South Hastings Waste Services Board, council members did not raise objections. Councillor Phil St-Jean moved the motion and council approved directing the funds into the Waste Diversion Reserve without debate.

The curbside waste collection contract generated more discussion. Councillor Roy Pennell questioned how many residents are actually using green bins and whether weekly collection makes sense year round, particularly in winter.

Albert Paschkowiak, Environmental Services and Sustainability Supervisor, explained

that participation is higher in built up areas than rural ones and that provincial rules limit the County’s ability to reduce service frequency.

Councillor Pennell expressed concern about paying for services residents may not be fully using but still supported the contract.

Council voted in favour of awarding the five year curbside collection contract to Environmental 360 Solutions Ltd.

Budget Adoption and OPP Cost Increase

The most divided and lengthy discussion of the night centered on the 2026 budget and the unexpected Ontario Provincial Police cost increase.

Mayor Steve Ferguson acknowledged that the 11 percent OPP increase was a surprise shared by municipalities across Ontario and explained that council had little room to renegotiate policing costs.

Photo: Canva

Councillor Nieman introduced a motion to offset the OPP increase by drawing from three reserves. He framed it as a one time solution to preserve the levy increase residents had already seen during December budget deliberations.

Councillor John Hirsch supported the motion, noting that it effectively returned the levy increase to what council had agreed on before the late OPP update.

Councillor Phil St-Jean supported the motion reluctantly. He emphasized that drawing from reserves should not become standard practice but saw this as a necessary short term fix.

Councillor Janice Maynard described the situation as unfortunate but manageable and pointed out that tourism driven calls for service likely contribute to policing costs, making use of the Municipal Accommodation Tax reserve reasonable.

Opposition came from several councillors.

Councillor Sam Branderhorst argued that council should revisit spending decisions instead of drawing down reserves and specifically questioned staffing levels in the fire department.

Jane Lesslie said she could not support emptying reserves given climate risks and other unknown pressures that could arise during the year.

Despite concerns, the amendment passed and council then voted to adopt the full 2026 operating and capital budgets.

Cemeteries and Heritage Matters

© D Sharp Major | Find a Grave

On the transfer of Saint John's Anglican Cemetery to the municipality, council was largely aligned.

Councillor Nieman asked whether the cemetery was active and whether the County was already maintaining it.

Staff confirmed that the County is already responsible for maintenance and that the transfer formalizes that role.

Councillor Janice Maynard raised concerns about the long term financial burden of cemeteries being transferred to the municipality with little or no remaining care funds.

Councillor John Hirsch explained that the Province requires municipalities to assume responsibility when cemetery operators step away and that a future forecast report is meant to give council a clearer picture of upcoming costs.

Council approved the transfer and the request for a future cost forecast.

On the motion to explore earlier heritage consultation in the planning process, council was more split.

Councillor John Hirsch explained the intent was to avoid situations where heritage issues arise late in the approval process.

Crystal, Director of Planning, clarified that existing policies already require early heritage review and that the issue prompting the motion was a timing anomaly rather than a systemic gap.

Councillor Nieman and Councillor Phil St-Jean said the motion was unnecessary given current procedures.

The motion failed.

What This Means for Local Residents

For residents across the County, the outcomes of this meeting are mostly practical.

Community fundraisers may soon face fewer financial barriers if council updates its fee policies.

Garbage and green bin services will continue unchanged under a long term contract.

Property taxes for 2026 will reflect the rate council debated in December rather than a higher increase tied to policing costs.

At the same time, the meeting made clear that reserve funds are under pressure and that future budget years may involve tougher choices, especially as infrastructure, climate risks, and provincial costs continue to grow.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 1:55:10. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.