Assuming you had one pizza and four hungry patrons, it would make the easiest sense to split it at 25 per cent each. But what if one could dive down into the nitty- gritty of how each patron’s wants and needs were taken into account for the most equitably divided slices?
That’s what Tay Township did in a recent report which explored their situation among the funding formulas that have been a sometimes-contentious issue over recent years with neighbouring municipalities.
Treasurer Emmie Carlson was given high praise for parsing the data presented at the recent regular meeting of Tay council, looking at the funding formula for joint municipal committees within Tay’s involvement with the Culture Alliance in the Heart of Georgian Bay, the Economic Development Corporation of North Simcoe (EDCNS), the Severn Sound Environmental Association (SSEA), and the Sustainable Severn Sound (SSS).
To offer comparatives, Carlson sorted Tay and seven other north Simcoe municipalities into four categories where their differences could be quantified: total taxable assessment; total taxable residential assessment (both from Ontario Property Tax Analysis, or OPTA); 2021 population from the Canada Census; and municipal land area.
Carlson’s basis for calculations used the baselines that larger populations meant larger funding shares by population, whereas larger land mass areas would fund toward larger total assessment and total residential assessment figures due to a higher assessed tax base.
However, Carlson cautioned that assessment figures within the report were Tay-focused and had used estimates and potentially outdated figures from other municipalities, who would need to be contacted for more verified statistics if further action was required.
For the Culture Alliance, the 2023 withdrawal of Beausoleil First Nation from the five-member partnership meant that the four remaining partners who previously paid $10,000 each would reassess their funding. In 2024, Tay remained at $10,000 as per the original terms of reference, while the other three partners increased to $12,500 for funding.
To calculate how a $40,000 four-partner split would be addressed, Carlson’s charts showed varying results for Tay, Midland, Penetanguishene and Tiny Township. Hypothetically, if land area was the method to distribute funding then Tay’s 138 square kilometres would mean a much larger cost to fund (26% or $10,300); while if sorted by assessment (17%) Tay would fund at just under $6,800.
Through the eight joint-member municipalities of the SSEA, a minimum $63,250 base was set in 2024 for each partner, followed by additional funding formula alterations modified for each partner that would increase the total: a low of $93,000 for Georgian Bay Township; a Tay Township funding of $131,000; and high for Tiny Township of $225,000. The complex calculations and perceived inequity were the catalyst for the report, begun in March.
“I didn't realize that when we first started talking about this how much information would come back to us,” said Coun. Paul Raymond during the meeting.
“Should we give it one shot – 30 days to see what the other municipalities have to say, what kind of assessment they were looking at – come back and then see if we can't do it together?” Raymond suggested.
Walker reminded Raymond that the report was simply to be received for information, but noted that it could be addressed at an upcoming heads of council meeting.
“We'll see how some might be in favour and some not,” said Walker. “As you look at the table, it has an impact. It doesn't impact us quite as much as I thought; I thought Penetanguishene was on a favourable end, I thought that Tiny was maybe not so favourable because their costs went up in a number of those calculations.”
Deputy Mayor Barry Norris said that the report could be addressed at the next committee of the whole meeting, as the township would be dealing with the responses from other municipalities when Tay asked to have the SSEA funding format reassessed in May. Walker and the rest of council agreed to include the report when discussing the matter in the upcoming meeting.
The funding formula for joint municipal committees report can be found in the agenda page on the Tay Township website.
Tay council meets for committee of the whole meetings every second Wednesday of the month, and regular council meetings every fourth Wednesday of the month. Archives and livestreams of council meetings are available through the Tay Township YouTube channel.
