Accounting Services consistently reviews our practices and procedures to ensure they comply with professional and ethical standards. They make payments and collect funds for the County. They also handle payroll for close to 900 employees.
Budget and Finance
Budget process
The budget process begins in August as each department reviews priorities and their annual operating and capital requirements. The draft budgets of each department are put into a draft document that is subject to public review and scrutiny before going to County Council for discussion, review and adoption.
Essex County's credit rating
Standard and Poor’s conducted a review in 2024 and affirmed Essex County’s credit rating as AAA with a stable outlook – the highest available to county level governments in Ontario.
Ongoing financial monitoring
A year is a long time between budgets so the Treasurer produces variance reports mid-year so council can make informed decisions on whether adjustments need to be made.
Financial Services
The Financial Services department provides advice and support to Essex County Council and other departments in six key areas:
Investing in our infrastructure and planning for the refurbishment and replacement of municipal assets is vital. The County's Asset Management Plan lays out a framework to maintain assets and infrastructure like roads, bridges and culverts.
Budgeting and financial monitoring
The annual represents the vision of Essex County for the upcoming year and the long term.
The County supports open and transparent government by making important financial documents available for public review:
Audited Financial Statements – Statements prepared by the County's Director of Financial Services/Treasurer and reviewed by an independent, external auditor.
Financial Information Returns – The FIR is the data collection tool used by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to collect financial and statistical information on municipalities. The FIR is a standard document comprised of a number of schedules which are updated each year to comply with current legislation and reporting requirements.
Public Sector Salary Disclosure – A list of all County Employees making more than $100,000.
The Director of Financial Services / Treasurer protects the County from exposure to unexpected or accidental losses by managing our level of corporate risk. Operational risks are reviewed each year for ways to control, transfer or finance risk within the corporate insurance policy.
The Director of Financial Services / Treasurer works with all departments and outside organizations to plan for cash flow needs and choose investments that maximize return.
Contact Us
County of Essex
360 Fairview Ave W, Essex ON N8M 1Y6
Telephone: 519-776-6441
TTY: 1-877-624-4832
Fax: 519-776-4455
coeinfo@countyofessex.ca
Stay Informed
Subscribe to receive email notifications of our news notices and announcements.