Budgets
Budget process
Northumberland County goes through a rigorous budgeting and planning process each year. This process involves consideration of programs and services, budgets and key priorities for the coming year.
This annual budget process includes:
- Define (May): The County Budget process officially begins with the County engaging community members via survey to gather feedback and identify public priorities for the management and investment of budget dollars.
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Direct (June): County Council provides direction on a target base levy (property tax) increase around which staff then structures the following year’s budget for Council review.
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Develop (July-November): Public input from the budget consultation is presented to County Council in July to help inform budget development and decision-making. Based on this public feedback, along with direction from County Council, each department develops an annual business plan and budget. Departments also contribute to the review and update of the County's long-term plan. The Finance Department oversees consolidation of all budget documents in the fall.
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Deliberate (December): In December, the final draft budget is presented to County Council at Special Meetings of Council for review and deliberation.
- Determine: Council may vote on the budget in December, or they may provide direction to staff to make further adjustments and deliver an updated version at a future meeting of Council for review, discussion, and determination.
In addition to the annual budget, the Finance Department annually updates a financial model that looks over a 10-year span at the management of the County's finances. This model looks at the current budget year and provides a 9-year future financial plan for the County, ensuring a rolling 10-year plan that enables the County to plan for large projects and map out program and service delivery over the longer-term.
2024-2026 Budget
The draft 2024-2026 County budget will be presented to County Council during the Special Council Budget Meeting on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. Watch the presentation on December 6th or check this page after the meeting concludes to review the draft materials online.