Budget and Finances

Budget 2022

Key Dates and Public Input Opportunities

• September 13, 2021 – Public Consultation on the 2022 Budget
• October 4, 2021 – Staff present the Draft Budget to Council, no discussion.
• October (Date to be determined) – Public Comments on the Draft Budget open for submission to the Clerk.
• October 20, 2021 and October 21, 2021 - Working sessions for Council and staff discuss details of the Draft Budget. You can attend but there is no opportunity to address Council.
• October (Date to be determined) – Last day for public comments on the Draft Budget.
• November 1, 2021 – Staff present the Final Budget to Council for approval.

If you cannot attend these public meetings, submit your comments to the Clerk's Office at clerk.greffe@russell.ca or by mail to 717 Notre Dame Street, Embrun K0A 1W1.

Budget 2021

Council adopted the 2021 Budget on Monday, November 2, 2020. The budget includes a tax increase of 2.5% and a reduction in flat fee water and sewer rates. See our Paving and Capital Projects page for more information on upcoming construction.

Budget 2021 

Due to the complexity of tables in this document, it may not be compatible with all assistive technologies. If you require this document in an accessible format, please contact us and we will make every effort to accommodate your needs. 

The annual budget decides how much money goes towards the priorities listed in our Strategic Plan, Business Plan, and requests from the community throughout the year.

Like your own personal budget, our budget is divided into two sections – operating and capital.

Operating Budget

The operating budget covers day-to-day spending. In your home, these would be things like gas or groceries. For the Township, it includes:

• Garbage
• Clean Water
• Maintenance of our Public Pool, Arenas, and Other Facilities.

Capital Budget

The capital budget pays for new projects or upgrades. These are things like renovations or new appliances for your home. For the Township, capital expenses include:

• Road Improvements
• Park Upgrades
• Equipment to Maintain Infrastructure

See our Paving and Capital Projects page for more information on this year's expected projects.

Who Decides What's Included in the Budget?

We consider many things when making each year's budget, including:

• Goals in our guiding Reports and Plans;
• Age and condition of current Township assets (roads, facilities, programs), and how they have been maintained over the years;
• Risks if the service, program, or asset we have were to fail;
• Coordination with other capital projects (for example, a culvert replacement might trigger the need for updated curbs and sidewalks, so that the road is only dug up once);
• Annual costs of running and maintaining a new potential service, program, or asset.

Council gives the administration directives on what is in the final budget.

1. Staff create a Draft Budget based on our Strategic Plan, Business Plan, and community requests;
2. Council discusses the Draft Budget during the budget working sessions;
3. Staff make changes to the Draft Budget based on Council's requests during the working sessions and public feedback;
4. Staff present the Final Budget;
5. Council reviews and approves the Final Budget;