King Township Council Meeting - May 26, 2025

We reviewed plenty of financial documents for Monday night's council meeting including Development Charge Reserve Funds, Cash in Lieu of Parkland Reserve Funds, Variance Reports, Investment Report, Audited Financial Statements and the Final Tax Levy. The reports are quite transparent with all the relevant information provided and available for those who are curious. Council also approved a new event venue in Ward 3 in a great example of diversified farm use.

Quick Links

Mayor's Comments

Final Tax Levy

Agricultural Event Venue

Mayor’s Comments

• Thank you to all the volunteers involved in the 175th Schomberg Agricultural Fair. It was a magnificent event to showcase agriculture and our community!

• Yard waste is collected every second week until December 8. Remember to use the craft paper bags and put them out by 7am – they are picked up by different trucks than recycling. Grass clippings are not permitted. More info here.

• Pool permits are required if you want to install a new pool. Staff can assist with application. More info here. 

• Open air burning requires a permit – this excludes recreational fires with a chiminea. Permits cost $50 and are valid for the whole year. More info here.

• King has a variety of facilities available for rent. For a great outdoor event, there are a variety of shelters available at Cold Creek, Memorial Park, Nobleton Sports Park, and Pottageville  Pavillion. You can book ice and rooms at Zancor. More info here.

• National Accessibility Week is on and a time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of people with disabilities, reflect on barriers that still exist, and reaffirm our commitment to being a more accessible society. Celebrate with a free sensory Skate & Swim at Zancor on June 1st from 12-3pm. Participants can skate, swim or enjoy both. Activities will have reduced capacities and lower-level music in the pool area. This is a drop-in event; pre-registration is not required. More info here.

• June is Recreation and Parks month. King has a line-up of 30 days of activities to celebrate including fitness challenges, sports, walks. Explore parks and participate in free and low cost events. See more here.

Final Tax Levy

The blended residential rate for the Township, York Region and School Boards is .8876% in 2025. The average home in King Township (valued at one million dollars) will be charged $8,876 per year of which $3,587 is for King, $3,759 is for York Region, and $1,530 is for the four school boards.

The good news is that York Region changed the tax ratios by entirely removing the 30% discount for non-residential vacant and excess land. This will support development objectives and improve tax equity and has a favourable impact on the residential tax rates. While the impact to residential taxes is small (about $11 less taxes on a $1 million home), the increased cost to vacant tax owners will hopefully act as an incentive to develop land. Overall, however, York Region increased their tax rate by 4.55%.

The blended residential tax rate for the Township, York Region, and School Boards increased 3.08% in 2025 which is less than the estimated amount of 3.39% noted during King’s 2025 Budget discussion. The variance in the projected rate is due to final assessment changes from the return of the roll from MPAC and the vacant land tax policy changes implemented by York Region. It is important to note that the Township must remit installments to York Region and each school board throughout the year regardless of whether tax payments are received.

The Township collects taxes in four installments per year. The first two interim installments were due February 19, 2025, and April 23, 2025. The installments for final billing will be July 24, 2025, and September 25, 2025.

Agricultural Event Venue

Council approved zoning by-law amendments to allow a seasonal event venue at 14855 Highway 27. The 50-hectare property currently includes a residence, an agricultural barn, and about 10.1 hectares (25 acres) of active farmland, producing approximately 72 large hay bales annually (equivalent to about 1,300 small bales).

By approving this site-specific amendment to King’s Countryside Area Zoning By-law, Council has enabled the establishment of an agricultural event venue as a permitted on-farm diversified use. The venue qualifies as a diversified and secondary use because farming crops is a daily activity while the event venue will only operate seasonally and primarily on weekends. Further, the land must continue to be farmed in order to meet the requirements of the on-farm diversified use.

This decision highlights King's commitment to supporting agricultural activities while promoting sustainable, diversified economic opportunities for local farmers.