Cost of future county road work escalating

Essex County Civic Centre.

The cost for new roads and EMS in Essex County is going up.

County councillors heard from director of finance/treasurer Melissa Ryan that the original projected price tag on the 20-year roadway expansion project is now estimated to be over $63.6 million more previously thought.

According to Ryan, the cost of the two-decade long project was first tagged at $641.2 million and is now $704. 8 million.

As the county heads into budget deliberations in the next couple of months it will decide how to fund the roads project. 

This past year $2 million was taken out of reserves to go towards the anticipated increases which Ryan reported are due to increased costs to land acquisitions and construction.

“Debt will continue to be used strategically to align the timing of project construction with asset life and minimize financial pressure on the tax base in a single year,” she wrote in her report.

There were no comments or questions from county councillors.

Also last week, Ryan reported that over the next five or six years, the county will have to come up with about $55 million for a new EMS hub to be located in Windsor.

“Why is the hub in Windsor?,” asked Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue.

There will not only be the creation of a central hub but according to a county report, the possible development for relocation of some stations.

“Working with the consultants, the majority of our calls happen in Windsor,” said Windsor-Essex EMS Chief Justin Lammers. “We know call volumes are high and ambulances are predominantly lined up at Windsor Regional Hospital.”

Lammers also added that all the stations will be within 20km of the hub and that the plan is to  have better access to the new mega-hospital.

“It’s always been my experience the closer you get to downtown the more expensive the land is,” said Prue questioning the location of the hub. “If we put it in the county, would it not be cheaper?”

In her report, Ryan said that the $55 million being funded by the county does not include any possible provincial or federal grants and although there are reserves in place for EMS, $1 million per year will have to come from the taxpayers.

In a financial share agreement, Essex County is responsible for EMS and Windsor for housing.

Cost of future county road work escalating

By Fred Groves