By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press

County of Essex is anticipating a projected surplus of $2.3M this year.

Director of Financial Services/Treasurer, Melissa Ryan, provided a mid-year projection of the County’s financial position, based on activity up until the end of June at the September 2 meeting.

At this point in the year, Ryan said Essex County is projecting a year-end surplus of around $2.3M. That represents about 1.6% of the total budget for 2026.

“I do want to emphasize that while there is a surplus projected, it is a relatively small variance when viewed against the overall size of the County budget,” she noted.

Much of the surplus is related to one-time or time- related factors, such as staff vacancies, salary gapping, deferred projects, and external agency adjustments.

Because of that, this should not be viewed as ongoing savings built into future budgets, Ryan said.

Some of the more significant variances include the County-owned Sun Parlor Home, a long-term care facility.

There is a surplus projection of around $744,000. That is primarily due to additional provincial funding that was just indicated to the County about a month ago.

There are also some vacancies and utility savings.

In EMS, a projected surplus is expected to be around $536,000. That is primarily attributed to vacant shifts and associated wage cost.

Around a $469,000 surplus is projected in external commitments. This is primarily due to funding returned by the Health Unit. Every year, the Health Unit performs a reconciliation from the prior year. And the County did get some funding back through this process.

“Overall, administration is pleased with where we’re at in this point in the year,” Ryan said. “Departments continue to manage expenditures responsibly, maintaining service levels. And the County remains in a strong financial position.”

She added several assumptions underpin the forecast, including winter maintenance requirements, social services costs, investment performance, and inflationary pressures.

Administration will continue to monitor these files throughout the remainder of the year.

Any surplus realized at the end of the year will be transferred to the Rate Stabilization Reserve, in accordance with the Reserve Management Policy.

Any surpluses noticed through EMS or Sun Parlour Home would likely be recommended to be put back into their respective capital reserves, given the significant capital projects anticipated.

Members of County Council received the report.