Lambton County councillors are passing on a 5.3 per cent tax increase this year. It comes after a bid to take money out of reserves to lower the impact on taxpayers by two per cent failed.

The 5.3 per cent increase translates into about $30 more for every $100,000 of assessment on a home, pushing the county taxes from about $498 to $528 for every $100,000 of assessment.

Councillors started Wednesday’s budget deliberations with a proposed 4.8 per cent tax increase but then approved 12 more hours of paramedic service in Sarnia at a cost of about $900,000. That pushed the tax increase up to 5.3 per cent.

Councillors also approved the consolidation of Lambton Emergency Medical Services at the Western Research Park. A $10.3 million building is part of that plan. It will be paid with reserves and a $9 million loan.

The Research Park meantime was looking for a $900,000 on top of its $650,000 funding as it continues to try increase occupancy at the park. Instead of providing a grant, councillors decided to loan the park the cash instead.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley, who is the chair of the Research Park’s board, said the loan will be like a “boa constrictor” around the Research Park’s neck as it tries to work its way out of the hole caused by an exodus of tenants in the wake of the pandemic.

A bid by Petrolia Mayor Brad Loosley to provide a $105,000 grant to Bluewater Health failed. For the past several years, Loosley has raised concerns about grant given to Strathroy-Middlesex Hospital. The county promised to contribute $105,000 a year for 10 years.

Bluewater Health came to the county in 2020 looking for a $10 million grant. That request was put on hold and since then, the county has not been accepting requests for grants.

Loosley said the county should be giving the hospital in Lambton the same amount as a hospital outside its borders.

Several county councillors spoke against Loosley’s idea including Warwick Mayor Todd Case. “If they haven’t asked, why would we provide money,” he said adding for many people in East Lambton, Strathroy is their main hospital.

“Health care doesn’t have any borders, ” added Dawn-Euphemia Mayor Al Broad.

Councillors did remove about $70,000 from the $312 million budget. That was money set aside for cost of living increases for Tourism Sarnia Lambton, Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership and the Research Park.

After an hour, councillors were ready to approve the document. Case said he would normally look for more savings but he was “comfortable” with the increase knowing the county is “well equipped and capable of dealing with the tariff of 25 per cent.”

But Sarnia City/County Councillor Bill Dennis wanted to reduce the tax increase by two per cent. He says up to 65 per cent of Canadians who bought homes when interest rates were low are now up for mortgage renewal. He says higher interest rates “are going to wipe them out.

“Our citizens can’t afford this,” Dennis said asking for councillors to agree to take almost $2 million out of reserves to lower the tax increase to 3.2 per cent.

But others, including Broad, said that extra cushion was needed in a time of uncertainty as US President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on Canadian goods.

“We can say, ‘ignore the guy to the south.’ We can’t ignore the guy. He’s created enough turmoil in the last two weeks, three weeks … we definitely know that for each and every one of us it has cost us more money. And it’s going to cost us more money. Things aren’t settled there,” said Broad.

Lambton Shores Deputy Mayor Dan Sageman agreed. “We’re looking at 12 to 24 dollars, we’re not talking about saving our constituents 1,000s of dollars. We’re not talking about money that’s going to price you out of a mortgage or lose or keep their home. We’re talking about being financially responsible …making sure that we’re prepared is very important.

“If there was a million dollars savings here we should have found. And we didn’t.”

Dennis then suggested a one per cent tax cut, “so you won’t have so much egg on your face” when councillors meet constituents in the community.

That also failed.

Council did direct staff to come back in the fall with a “mini budget update” so any adjustments can be made once the effects of the tariffs become clear.