Northumberland County Releases 2023 Annual Report

Pete Fisher
1 month ago
• Categories: City Hall, Local

Following County Council’s receipt in June of externally-audited financial statements for the year 2023, Northumberland County is pleased to today release its 2023 Annual Report. This report reflects the County’s commitment to transparency and accountability, providing community members with a clear view of how their tax dollars are being used to address key priorities and deliver essential services.

The 2023 Annual Report is designed in a visually engaging format, and includes community statistics and facts, program and services highlights from 2023, and key priorities for 2024 to keep residents informed of County governance and administration. It also provides a visual summary of 2023 financial performance as well as the complete audited financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023.

“The Annual Report remains an important tool for us to demonstrate our commitment to transparency and accountability with community members and interested parties,” states County CAO Jennifer Moore. “Through this report, we share updates on our key initiatives and programs, providing the community with an engaging and informative resource to learn how their tax dollars are being put to work in our community.

For the past six years, the County has been recognized with industry awards for the visually compelling design of our Annual Report. This year, we aim to continue to uphold this standard with a report that clearly identifies the tangible outcomes delivered in alignment with the County budget, and highlighting our efforts to advance key priorities outlined in our Community Strategic Plan and annual business plans.”

As outlined in this report, County Council approved a $213.5 million budget in 2023, allocating $128.5 million toward operating costs, $9.2 million for future strategic and infrastructure needs, and $75.6 million for investments in capital and critical infrastructure. $68.1 million of the 2023 budget was garnered through property taxes, with $60.2 million from grants and subsidies. The remaining funds were generated through a combination of debt, reserves, fees for services and other revenue-generating activities.

As County Council and staff look ahead to the future, continued focus is on monitoring progress and measuring success to ensure quality service for the community. In early 2024, the County introduced an online dashboard of key performance indicators to provide greater insight for community members and interested parties on the status of the County’s priorities and initiatives. This additional reporting tool complements the County’s formal annual reporting process.

“We are pleased to release the County’s 2023 Annual Report, reflecting our progress over the past year to guide intentional growth and deliver on our commitments to the community,” states County Warden Brian Ostrander. “This report provides an assessment of our progress during the past year, identifies opportunities and priorities for 2024, and reaffirms our commitment to strategic and prudent administration of taxpayer dollars. As we officially close out the 2023 fiscal year with this report, I want thank staff, council, community partners and our residents, for helping us move forward our shared priorities.”

View the Annual Report

The 2023 Annual Report is available on Northumberland County’s website at Northumberland.ca/AnnualReport.

Track our performance using our online dashboard

Community members are invited to track the County’s performance in delivering on key performance indicators by visiting our online performance dashboard at Northumberland.ca/Dashboard.

Learn more about County Budgets

Learn more about our rigorous budget process and view our budget documents, including business plans, issue papers and department budgets, by visiting Northumberland.ca/Budgets.