Part 1: Budget Pressure, Waste Contracts, and Fee Waiver – 01/13/2026
- PECConnect
- Jan 12
- 5 min read
The County Council met at Shire Hall on the evening of Tuesday, January 13, 2026, for its first regular council meeting of the year. The meeting was chaired by Mayor Steve Ferguson, who opened the session with a traditional land acknowledgement and a reminder that council meetings are part of the public record and live streamed for residents at home. The meeting covered a wide range of topics that directly affect County residents, from how community fundraisers are treated under municipal bylaws, to waste collection contracts, to the final adoption of the 2026 municipal budget. Several discussions revealed ongoing tensions between supporting community initiatives, managing rising costs, and maintaining long-term financial stability.
View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes.
After confirming the agenda and noting that there were no declarations of pecuniary interest, council moved into announcements. Councillor Janice Maynard gave notice of a future motion related to reinstating an agricultural advisory resolution supporting the agricultural farmland belt.
Councillor Sam Grosso, offered condolences to Mayor Ferguson on the recent passing of his brother, a moment that set a personal and reflective tone early in the meeting. Grosso also highlighted January 21 as Lincoln Alexander Day, recognizing Alexander’s legacy as Canada’s first Black Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister, and Ontario Lieutenant Governor.
Mayor Ferguson also proclaimed January as National Alzheimer Awareness Month in the County, noting the importance of awareness and community support.
Waiving a Noise Permit Fee for a Food Bank Fundraiser
The first major discussion began with a deputation from Moira Coull, a local resident and volunteer fundraiser. Coull appeared before council to request that the County waive a $300 temporary noise permit fee associated with a New Year’s Eve fundraising event held at the Masonic Hall in support of the Picton Food Bank.
Coull explained the extensive process volunteers had to follow, including securing a liquor licence, applying for a noise permit, and going door to door to collect signatures and personal information from nearby residents. She described the fundraiser as successful, collecting more than 150 pounds of non-perishable food, but raised concerns about the burden placed on volunteers and the risks involved in asking seniors to provide personal details in an era of widespread scams.
Councillors responded with broad support for the request, while also questioning why a noise permit was required for an indoor event held during permitted hours. Several councillors pointed out that the existing bylaw does not allow staff discretion to waive fees, even for charitable or community-based fundraising events.
Council ultimately passed a motion to waive the $300 fee for this specific event, and directed staff to review both the Fees and Charges By-law and the Noise By-law. Staff were asked to return with a report exploring whether future flexibility could be built in to allow fee waivers for community fundraising events.
Waste Services and Curbside Collection Contracts
Council then turned its attention to operational services, beginning with a report on the dissolution of the Centre and South Hastings Waste Services Board. Albert Paschkowiak, Environmental Services and Sustainability Supervisor, was present to answer questions. Council voted to accept surplus funds resulting from the board’s dissolution and directed that those funds be transferred into the Waste Diversion Reserve.
Immediately following, council considered the five-year curbside waste collection contract, awarding the tender to Environmental 360 Solutions Ltd. Councillors raised questions about resident participation in green bin usage and whether weekly collection during winter months was necessary.
Staff explained that participation varies by area, with higher usage in built-up areas than in rural parts of the County. They also noted that provincial regulations limit the municipality’s ability to reduce service levels, even seasonally. Council approved the contract, acknowledging that broader changes to organics and waste diversion would require future policy and infrastructure decisions.
Ontario Regulation 284/09 and Budget Transparency
Council briefly addressed a compliance report related to Ontario Regulation 284/09, which requires municipalities to reconcile budgets prepared on a modified accrual basis with full accrual accounting. Arryn McNichol, representing Finance and IT, explained that the report does not change the budget, but ensures transparency around items excluded from the budget and their effect on the County’s accumulated surplus. Council approved the report.
Final Adoption of the 2026 Budget
The longest and most consequential discussion of the evening focused on the final adoption of the 2026 operating and capital budgets. While budget deliberations had taken place collaboratively in December, council learned after those meetings that the Ontario Provincial Police contract came in at an 11 percent increase, rather than the 6 percent increase originally assumed. This late change added roughly $390,000 to the levy.
Councillors expressed frustration that the information arrived after budget deliberations had concluded, limiting council’s ability to adjust spending decisions earlier. Some councillors questioned whether reserves should be used to offset the increase, while others warned about the risks of depleting reserve funds that exist to address emergencies and long-term pressures.
Councillor Nieman brought forward a motion to offset the OPP increase by drawing from three reserves: the Climate Emergency Reserve, the Municipal Accommodation Tax reserve, and the Waste Diversion Reserve. Staff confirmed that this approach would bring the levy increase back close to what council had originally agreed to in December.
After extensive discussion, council approved the amendment and then voted to adopt the 2026 budget, with Mayor Ferguson issuing the required mayoral decision under provincial strong mayor legislation. The budget was formally adopted as of January 13, 2026.
Key Takeaways
Council signaled strong support for community-led fundraising by waiving a noise permit fee and directing staff to review whether bylaws should be updated to better support volunteer initiatives.
Waste management remains an evolving issue, with long-term questions about green bin participation, organics processing, and cost control still unresolved despite new contracts being approved.
The 2026 budget process highlighted the financial strain caused by late provincial decisions, particularly policing costs, and underscored ongoing tension between keeping taxes predictable and preserving municipal reserve funds for future needs.
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.
Comments