Local Government for Cobourg residents includes an upper tier: Northumberland County. Some services are provided by the County and not the Town and residents pay taxes to them as well as the Town (more on taxes here).
Northumberland County includes the following Towns/Townships (2021 population in brackets):
- Municipality of Trent Hills (13,861)
- Township of Alnwick/Haldimand (7,473)
- Municipality of Brighton (12,108)
- Town of Cobourg (20,519)
- Township of Cramahe (6,509)
- Township of Hamilton (11,059)
- Municipality of Port Hope (17,294)
The County is governed by a “Council” with members who are the Mayors of these municipalities. The Warden is elected by Councillors at the end of each calendar year. Also elected is a Deputy Warden who fills in with Warden duties if the Warden is not available.
County Council meetings are on the third Wednesday in the month at 9:30 am. The Calendar is here and the Agendas are here. Meetings are held in Council chambers at the County building at 555 Courthouse Road, Cobourg.
Note that since not all municipalities have the same population, when a "recorded vote" is called for, it will also be a weighted vote per the following: Alnwick Haldimand (2 votes); Brighton (4 votes); Cobourg (6 votes); Cramahe (2 votes); Hamilton (3 votes); Port Hope (5 votes); Trent Hills (4 votes). This will often happen with contentious issues.
Taxes for the County are collected from the member municipalities per the following table.
County tax levy split - 2023
| Alnwick - Haldimand | 10% |
| Brighton | 13% |
| Cobourg | 24% |
| Cramahe | 7% |
| Hamilton | 13% |
| Port Hope | 19% |
| Trent Hills | 14% |
Here are the Councillors for 2024
2024 Contact Information
- Warden, Brian Ostrander - Brighton -
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 613-475-0670, ext 212 - Deputy Warden - Olena Hankivsky - Port Hope -
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 905-885-4544 - John Logel - Alnwick/Haldimand - 905-396-3152
- Lucas Cleveland - Cobourg -
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Cell: (289) 251-4193 - Scott Jibb - Hamilton - 905-342-3788
- Mandy Martin - Cramahe -
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 905-376-7241 - Bob Crate - Trent Hills -
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 705-761-2278
County Services
Services provided by the County are:
- Social Services (e.g. Welfare)
- Affordable and Subsidized housing
- Long Term Care - Golden Plough Lodge
- Major Roads and Bridges
- Waste Collection and Management
- Paramedics (Ambulance Service)
- Economic Development (also provided by Towns)
- Tourism (also provided by Towns)
- Forest Management
- Archive Management
County Annual Reports
- The County web site lists their annual reports here. These list County activities and amounts taxed and spent.
- County budgets are reported here.
County Performance Dashboard
The County has a page on its web site that reports on how they are doing on a good number of key performance Indicators.
The dashboard features 32 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track specific aspects of service delivery. It also includes 14 Community Health Indicators (CHIs) that provide insights into social, environmental, and economic trends in Northumberland County, but over which the County has limited influence or control. They get updated about once a quarter.
Go here for County Performance Dashboard. Select "Progress" to see latest measurement.
County Staff
The County does not publish the names and contact information on its web site but occasionally makes some information known. Here is what I know about County Staff as of 28 August 2024:
- Chief Administrative Officer (CAO): Jennifer Moore - Email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Director of Finance / Treasurer: Matthew Nitsch
- Director of Health and Human Services (overseeing the Golden Plough Lodge & Community and Social Services): Glenn Dees
- Director of Economic Development & Tourism: Dan Borowec - Email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Director of Communications & Information Technology: Kate Campbell - Email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Phone: 905-372-3329 x2335 - Director of Public Works - Denise Marshall
- County Clerk: Maddison Mather - Email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - telephone at 905-372-3329 ext. 2238.
Standing Committees
Standing Committees meet each month and are chaired by Councillors. Their role is to provide input to Council meetings from Staff - with a review. This is similar to Parliamentary committees and to the recently established Standing Committees in Cobourg. There are no citizens on Standing Committees.
Councillor Membership on Committees & Boards
Standing Committees - 2024
- Community Health Committee: Chair – Deputy Warden Hankivsky; Committee Members – Councillor Cleveland and Warden Ostrander
- Corporate Support Committee: Chair – Councillor Crate; Committee Members – Councillor Jibb and Warden Ostrander
- Economic Development, Tourism, and Land Use Planning Committee: Chair – Councillor Martin; Committee Members – Councillor Crate and Warden Ostrander
- Finance and Audit Committee: Chair – Councillor Cleveland; Committee Members – Warden Ostrander and Councillor Martin
- Public Works Committee: Chair – Councillor Jibb; Committee Members – Councillor Logel and Warden Ostrander
- Social Services Committee: Chair – Councillor Logel: Committee Members – Deputy Warden Hankivsky and Warden Ostrander
Advisory Committees
- Brighton Landfill Liaison Committee – Warden Ostrander
- Canadian Association of Nuclear Host Communities – Councillor Cleveland
- Community Safety and Well-Being Collaborative Committee – Councillor Cleveland
- Northumberland County Agricultural Advisory Group – Councillor Jibb
- Northumberland Forest Advisory Committee – Councillor Martin
- Ontario Health Team of Northumberland (OHT-N) Governance Advisory Council – Councillor Martin.
Members of Boards
Northumberland County Housing Corporation: Councillors Mandy Martin and John Logel, Directors for the 2022-2026 Term of Council.
Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit Board: Councillors Crate, Logel, and Hankivsky for the 2022-2026 Term of Council.
As well as Councillors, relevant staff will participate and citizens may make presentations. The County web site does not yet provide a way to request presenting at a meeting - contact the County Clerk for instructions.
Agendas and Schedules
The agendas for Council meetings and Committee meetings are on the County web site here. This page also has recent minutes and other information about Council meetings.
The schedule for all county meetings in 2024 is here. Note that Council meetings are at 9:30 am; morning committee meetings are at 9:00 am and afternoon committee meetings are at 1:00 pm. There are no county meetings during the summer recess from July 1 to July 26.