I spent most of Monday morning taking many notes, as I watched the first day of council discussions regarding the 2026 municipal budget. On Tuesday morning as I write this editorial, I am preparing myself for the second day of discussions.
The process is completely new this year thanks to the imposition of ‘Strong Mayor Powers’ on this municipality by the province last year.
The first day of council discussions focused on the operating budget, which accounts for $15,464,710 of the total proposed budget package for 2026 of $ 21,398,160. (The proposed capital budget levy is $5,309,420, with another $624,030 proposed for an additional reserve levy.)
The budget as presented would require a property tax increase of 4.35 percent in 2026, which the municipality estimates will cost the average property owner an extra $117.90 in 2026 based on the average assessed home of $273,000.
If the dollar value for the average assessed home in this municipality surprises you, Meaford CAO Shawn Everitt noted that MPAC has not done an updated assessment for any properties in Ontario since 2016.
Council spent roughly three hours discussing the operating budget on Monday with the aid of the hefty 300-page budget document, along with a 38-slide presentation, which guided council through each of the departments.
When reading through the budget document, it is noted that the actual cost increase in order to operate all of the municipal services and facilities this year is 6.56 percent; however, the document notes that growth within the municipality last year is estimated to generate an additional $426,280, allowing the tax levy increase to be just 4.35 percent.
The largest proposed increase by department in the operating budget is Community Services, with an increase of 26.22 percent in 2026, which can mostly be attributed to the proposed dredging of the inner harbour this year at a budgeted cost of $500,000.
While I can already hear the rumblings from rural residents that municipal budgets focus on the needs and wants of the urban area, with 17 years of Meaford’s municipal budgets under my belt, I can tell you that rural Meaford sees significant funding each year for infrastructure projects in addition to the standard services like snow removal and trash collection.
For example, in the 2026 budget, $471,240 has been allocated for rural gravel road maintenance. The 160 kilometres of gravel roads in our rural areas are maintained on a three-year cycle.
Speaking of rural residents, I often hear frustrations expressed about Meaford Hall. I have heard them since I first moved here 20 years ago. It was mentioned in the budget documents and during council’s discussion on Monday that the debt for Meaford Hall will be fully paid mid way through 2028. Currently the annual debt payments for Meaford hall are nearly $260,000, so the elimination of that long-term debt in less than two years’ time will certainly help the Hall toward its ultimate goal of breaking even each year.
Members of council were generally supportive of the budget presented by the mayor, though they did propose a handful of budget enhancements, all to be funded from municipal reserves, and therefore won’t impact the rate increase for 2026.
Among the amendments proposed by councillors on Monday was a $250,000 increase to rural ditch maintenance, $10,000 to fund the grooming of Meaford’s section of the Georgian Trail, $10,000 for flowers in Leith and Annan, and $5,000 for a sign to be installed at Lakeview Cemetery outlining the rules and regulations of the facility. All of the amendments proposed on Monday received unanimous approval from council members, but with the new process, that is just the beginning.
As noted in the budget documents, under Strong Mayor Powers, the mayor is responsible for proposing the municipal budget, and the remaining members of council have 23 days to review the budget and propose amendments. The mayor then has 10 days to either approve or veto any of council’s proposed amendments, but council can then challenge a veto and override it with a two-thirds majority vote.
What we didn’t see much of was suggestions for significant amendments that would result in reductions to the proposed budget, though traditionally significant savings are found by members of council when exploring the capital budget.
Shaving down the required rate increase is a challenge each budget year, and it is not as easy as some might think to reduce a required rate increase from 4.35 percent to two percent, as to shave just one percentage point off the increase requires carving $194,000 from the budget. So to reduce the rate increase to two percent this year, as I have heard some suggest would be realistic and fair, means that council would have to find more than $400,000 to carve out of the budget, and while not impossible, I don’t see that happening. Though I am expecting to see some proposed amendments during Tuesday’s discussion of the capital budget that might make a significant enough reduction in the required increase to make council and most ratepayers happy.
Budget meetings can be long and exhausting, as they should be when necessary, but Monday’s operating budget discussion lasted a refreshingly short three hours. Tuesday’s meeting however might well take longer, as the capital budget items are often subject to significant debate. It is on the capital side of the budget where council is most likely to find significant savings, though those savings often come at the cost of pushing capital projects further down the road.
While the process might be very different this year, residents are still encouraged to share feedback by attending the budget review meetings, or emailing budgets@meaford.ca. Feedback from residents is crucial throughout the year for members of council, but it is perhaps especially important at municipal budget time. I encourage people to review the budget document, and to either attend or watch the council budget review sessions online, which you can do at your leisure as council meeting live streams are archived after the meetings, ensuring that they can be watched later if you are unable to watch live.
By the time you are reading this column there is one budget meeting remaining, to be held on Friday, February 6, beginning at 9 a.m. The third and final day of council budget discussions will focus on user fees, service partners, and a final review of the budget in its entirety.
You can submit budget questions, or offer feedback by emailing budgets@meaford.ca. Full details of the 2026 budget are available at meaford.ca/budget.
