Oxford County is seeking feedback on its 2024 Development Charges Background Study, a document that sets out how and where our communities grow, the servicing infrastructure needed to support that growth, and the capital costs required to build and sustain it. 

Developers, businesses and residents can review the background study and give feedback through an online comment form, direct email, or at the development charges public meeting that will be held on Wednesday, May 8 at the regular County Council meeting starting at 9:30 a.m. For details, visit www.oxfordcounty.ca/speakup.

Development charges are the fees paid by land developers to help finance the municipal infrastructure and the services needed to support new growth in residential, commercial and industrial areas. Oxford County collects development charges to support growth impacts on a range of County services, including roads, water and wastewater, ambulance, long-term care, waste diversion and library.

The 2024 updated background study includes a number of recommendations, including uniform development charge calculations across all services except water and wastewater, which would be area-specific defined by system, a demolition credit to update or replace older buildings, and potentially adding long-term care services. As part of the process, Council is also considering the implications of removing the current exemption for industrial development charges, allowing the County to begin collecting and re-investing those fees to support community growth.

Oxford County has been working with seven local area municipalities over the past year-- Ingersoll, Tillsonburg, Blandford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Norwich, South-West Oxford and the Township of Zorra-- to update their development charge background studies to prepare to pass new development charge by-laws. Ontario’s municipalities are required under recently revised legislation to update all new development charges background studies at least every 10 years.