Seven projects in H-L&A receive provincial funding to improve local services

The Ontario government is providing over $28 million to help 322 small and rural municipalities across the province find better and more efficient ways to deliver local services for residents and businesses.

According to a release from MPP Kramp’s office, the funding is being delivered through the Municipal Modernization Program and will support the following projects in Hastings-Lennox and Addington:

• Budgeting process modernization in the Town of Greater Napanee
• Program expansion for planning services in the City of Belleville (also part of Bay of Quinte riding)
• Court modernization and finance departmental review for the County of Lennox and Addington
• Budget review and digital improvement solutions for Marmora and Lake
• And three projects for Loyalist Township: electronic document and records management system implementation, human resources information system implementation, and volunteer management system modernization

“I’m pleased to see our local municipal governments use funding from this program to upgrade their local systems,” said Hastings-Lennox and Addington MPP Daryl Kramp. “Change isn’t always easy but this program makes it much easier by taking the burden off the shoulders of local property taxpayers.”

Municipalities can use the funding to conduct reviews of local services and administrative operations to find efficiencies, including accelerating the creation of new housing through streamlined development approvals and working with neighbouring municipalities to share services, according to the release.

“COVID-19 has highlighted the need for municipalities to be as efficient and nimble as possible, while ensuring services remain financially sustainable today and in the future,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “Through the Municipal Modernization Program, our government continues to support our municipal partners to operate more efficiently and streamline processes to deliver high-quality, sustainable services for residents and businesses, when and where they need them.”

With the Municipal Modernization Program, as well as the new Streamline Development Approval Fund and the Audit and Accountability Fund, the provincial government said that they are helping municipalities across the province make their planning and approvals processes more efficient in order to unlock and fast-track new housing to address the housing supply crisis.