South Huron finances on ‘good footing’

By John Miner

South Huron’s finances are in good shape with debt levels well below the limits set by the province, according to the latest external auditor’s report.

“The end of the year in 2025 gave you a good footing for 2026,” Paul Seebach of Seebach and Company told a recent council meeting.

The audited financial statements for 2025 showed the municipality had a debt of $20.2 million and made regular loan payments totalling $1.2 million during the year.

Seebach said the province calculates a debt limit for municipalities of 25 per cednt of set revenues.

“You are around one third of your max limit so you are well within your debt repayment,” he told council.

Almost all of the money South Huron owes is to the Ontario government for infrastructure projects, mainly water and sewer.

On the operating side, South Huron finished 2025 with a surplus of $6.4 million.

Revenues, mainly from taxes and user fees, came in at $29.9 million, while expenditures were $23.5 million.

The municipality’s net financial assets were $1.9 million higher than the previous year.

“What that enabled you to do for 2026 was to have a pretty large capital budget without having to borrow money and you only had to make a small increase to your mill rate,” Seebach said.

Separate financial statements are prepared for the Exeter Business Improvement Area, Kirkton-Woodham swimming pool and Kirkton-Woodham community centre.The Exeter BIA finished 2025 with what Seebach characterized as a small deficit of $13,000 on revenues of $114,586 and expenses of $127,676. The BIA has an accumulated surplus of $76,326 which will easily absorb the loss. Seebach noted that Kirkton-Woodham pool expenses were up in all categories.

“Operating a pool has got more expensive, everything is more expensive,” he said. Wages and benefits for the pool climbed from $108,448 in 2024 to $136,493 in 2025 while maintenance and pool supplies were up from $22,079 to $33,573.

Costs for the pool are split 50-50 with the Township of Perth South. Although the municipal grants totalled $50,000 in 2025 and pool receipts totalled $59,358, the pool ran a deficit of $69,417.

The Kirkton-Woodham Community Centre fared better financially with revenues of $75,685 and slightly higher expenses of $75,863, leaving the centre with a deficit of just $178.

Where the bulk of South Huron’s money was spent in 2025 (excluding capital expenditures):

- Water and sewer: $4.35 million

- Roads and streetlights: $3.59 million

- Recreation facilities: $2.95 million

- General government: $2.0 million

- Policing: $1.9 million

- Fire: $1.36 million

- Waste collection and disposal: $1.2 million

- Building, water quality and other protective services: $496,058

- Conservation authority: $312,415

- Planning and development: $236,596

- Council: $233,944

- Cemeteries, health, and social services: $222,759

- Recreation Parks: $209,433

- Recreation programs: $94,496