Essex County council still divided on development charges

Debate continues amongst Essex County councillors to whether or not there should be a county-imposed development charge placed on new construction.

Director of finance/treasurer Melissa Ryan presented an update that included public feedback as part of last Wednesday night’s county council meeting. 

In her report she noted, “overall general public engagement has been limited despite the county holding open house sessions in all seven local municipalities. Ten members of the public attended.”

Local decision makers debated whether or not the new county development charges, which are on top of ones already imposed by each municipality, are necessary.

“If you say the county is growing and you want it to grow, you have to have the money,” said Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue.

Prue said that if the region was not expanding then the new charges might not be necessary but he and several other county councillors are adamant that growth should pay for growth.

“I don’t want to go back to the taxpayers in Amherstburg or anywhere else in the county and say you are going to pay for growth,” commented Prue.

Amherstburg Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb agreed, noting over the next 20 years Essex County will be spending about $700 million on roads and $55 million for EMS in the next 12 years.

“I don’t want to have to charge the property owners of Essex County another $755 million on their taxes,” said Gibb. “If it’s not the new growth that pays for it, it’s the current taxpayers.”

Around the council table last week, representatives from Essex and Lakeshore did not want a new charge while LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche wanted more information.

Meloche said that her municipality was not opposed to the new development fees but wanted more information especially since the county has not completed two major studies including a transportation study.

“New home sales are slow, it’s painful. Putting something like this in place could only hurt the industry more in the short-term,” said Meloche.

And although she agreed that growth should pay for growth, she felt like a county charge could wait another year or so to be implemented.

Information provided by the county indicates that in the month of June there were 1,340 homes for sale in the Windsor-Essex area. Average price is $582,100 which is an increase of 2.9 percent from 2024.

Tecumseh Deputy Mayor Joe Bachetti said a county development charge is overdue.

“We have to start somewhere. We have millions and millions of dollars of infrastructure in the future,” he said.

Bachetti, along with Warden Hilda MacDonald said that Essex County needs to show the provincial government that it is building financially to support that infrastructure.

“When we go to the province hat in hand, we are told, what are you doing to raise these dollars,” said MacDonald.

Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy and Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey felt that the county should consider halting the process of having a consultant and paying for staff time to see if a development charge by-law should be in place.

“I spoke against this in the beginning and I’m even more opposed to it now especially the way the economy is now,” said Lakeshore Deputy Mayor Kirk Walstedt.

Ryan said the county will be presenting a bylaw in October.

There are exemptions for the proposed development charges including industrial building expansions, long term care homes, additional residential units in certain circumstances, affordable housing, non-profit housing, units in existing rental residential buildings, and municipalities and school boards.

Essex County council still divided on development charges

By Fred Groves