County of Lambton council members will discuss a possible tax increase of 3.48 per cent during this week's budget deliberations.
The 2026 budget meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 4, at 9 a.m. in council chambers at 789 Broadway St. in Wyoming.
The budget includes $272.5 million for operating costs and $48.4 million for capital investments.
The draft document can be found on the county's website and the meeting will be livestreamed.
If a second meeting is required, budget deliberations will continue on February 18.
Some municipalities within the county have already approved their budgets for this year. A summary can be found below.
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Township of Warwick
Warwick Township Council approved a four per cent tax hike, which equates to an increase of $27.90 per $100,000 of residential assessment.
The document includes $4.88 million in capital investments and an operating budget of $9.67 million.
A few of the infrastructure projects prioritized in the capital budget include the Churchill Line reconstruction project, Nauvoo Road and Confederation Line intersection redevelopment, a new accessible playground in Centennial Park, and upgrades to the Watford Fire Station.
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Municipality of Lambton Shores
Lambton Shores Council approved a 2.75 per cent tax increase during its budget meeting on January 12.
The decision translated to an approximate increase of $39 for 96 per cent of residential properties in the municipality.
The 2026 document includes an operating budget of $38.2 million and $25.8 million in capital investments.
Some of the capital investments include $6.9 million for roads, $4.7 million for bridges and culvert maintenance, and $2.98 million for parks, recreation and community facilities.
Further details about the 2026 budget can be found on Lambton Shore's website.
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City of Sarnia
Sarnia's 2026 budget was officially adopted in December 2025, with a tax increase of 3.95 per cent for those living inside the transit area.
The previous story can be found by clicking here.
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Town of Petrolia
Petrolia Town Council adopted an amended 2026 budget in November, which included a two per cent tax hike.
The budget included $14 million in capital expenditure.
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Village of Point Edward
In November 2025, Point Edward council approved a 3.81 per cent tax increase during its 2026 budget process.
The budget included $991,359 in capital investments and $6.2 million in operating expenses.
Council also approved an increase of 7.52 per cent to water rates and 9.4 per cent to sewage rates.
"Residential assessment in 2026 will amount to $802.89 per $100,000 in assessment, an increase of $29.47 for the village portion of the tax bill," read a media release.
The village introduced a new stormwater fee that took effect on January 1 for all properties that are not single and semi-detached dwellings. Revenues from this fee will support the hiring of an additional Environmental Services Department staff member.
The budget presentation can be found online.
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St. Clair Township
A budget meeting was held in St. Clair Township on January 15 but the document was not formally approved.
Clerk/Deputy CAO Jeff Baranek said council made several motions, amending the mayor's budget.
The draft budget proposed an overall tax increase of 2.58 per cent.
A report was expected to go back to council on February 2.
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Town of Plympton-Wyoming
Budget discussions were held in late January.
The draft budget initially proposed tax increase of three per cent.
On February 2, Mayor Gary Atkinson signed a decision not to use strong mayor powers to veto any amendments passed by councillors last week, thus adopting the budget with amendments, totaling $91,723.64.
The budget includes a 2.5 per cent property tax increase, which translates into an additional $18.46 yearly per $100,000 in assessed value.
Councillors also passed a bylaw setting sewer and water rates for the year. Residents will pay 3.6 per cent more for water, and 4.4 per cent more for sewer.
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Upcoming meetings:
The Township of Dawn-Euphemia was scheduled to have its budget meeting on Monday, February 2 at 6:30 p.m. The draft budget proposed a tax increase of 4.2 per cent.
The Municipality of Brooke-Alvinston is expected to have its budget meeting in early February.
Enniskillen Township usually approves its budget sometime in March.
Budget deliberations have not been scheduled for the Village of Oil Springs.
