Municipal budget season has arrived, and as previously reported, the process is different this year thanks to the imposition of Strong Mayor Powers onto this municipality by the province last year.
On Wednesday of last week, Meaford Mayor Ross Kentner released his proposed budgets for 2026 in a 300-page document that is available to download on the municipal website (meaford.ca/budget).
Unlike previous years, where the CAO or municipal Treasurer would present a draft budget to council and residents, and members of council would then debate and vote upon proposed amendments and various budget items during full day budget sessions, this year, under the Strong Mayor Legislation, the mayor proposes the budget and council will have the opportunity to propose amendments during similar full day budget sessions. Then the mayor has the opportunity to veto any proposed amendments, but council can then challenge a veto and override it with a two-thirds majority vote.
I have made no secret of the fact that I am no fan of the Strong Mayors concept, but I am willing (actually I don’t really have a choice, given that the province imposed the Strong Mayor powers on 169 new municipalities last year, including Meaford, bringing the total number of municipalities with Strong Mayor powers to 216 of the 444 municipalities in the province) to watch how the process plays out before determining if the budgeting aspect of Strong Mayor Legislation makes any sense and serves a municipality and its ratepayers well.
As the mayor noted in his foreword to the budget document, “While these changes are substantial, I have worked closely with staff to ensure that this budget reflects my expectations: a plan that is financially responsible, transparent, and accountable to the public.”
Finalizing and approving the 2026 budget is council’s first major challenge of the year, and it is arguably their most important task each year.
Though the process might have changed, a budget is still a budget, and the fundamentals remain the same. As with any budget year, council must walk the fine line between adequately funding the services and infrastructure needs of the municipality while also respecting the ratepayers’ pocketbooks. Particularly over the past five years, since the folks that pay the bills have made it clear that they are already stretched too thin and any significant increase in property taxes just compounds that problem.
Council is well aware of the fact that many in the municipality are struggling just to maintain their daily needs. With significant increases in recent years to everything from the cost of housing to groceries and most everything in between, many are simply at their limit. The use of food banks across the province, including our local food bank, has been increasing each year, with too many hard-working families forced to seek assistance in order to ensure there is food on the table. So council needs to ensure that they both adequately fund the municipal operations, while also ensuring that they aren’t adding unnecessary burden to local ratepayers. That can be a difficult line to walk.
So while the budget as presented by the mayor is seeking a relatively modest 4.35 percent increase, over the three days of budget review sessions members of council will no doubt be seeking ways to reduce the required rate increase, even if just by a little bit, because in the world of municipal budgets, even a little bit can mean a lot.
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.
In the budget document it is noted that the average home in the municipality is assessed at $273,000, and the 4.35 percent rate increase would add an extra $117.90 to the annual property tax bill of that average home.
Over the three full days of council’s budget review sessions, members of council will take a deep dive into the 300-page budget document, seeking justification for capital projects, and debating what could be put off for another year, or what should take priority and what should not.
As noted above, 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, but I suspect that will change by the end of council’s new budget process, however I surmise not by much. For council it will likely be a victory if they are able to reduce the required increase to below four percent, even if just slightly below. To hope for much more of a reduction in the required rate increase is likely unrealistic.
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.
Key Dates for the 2026 Budget Process:
- February 2, at 9 a.m. – Budget Review: Day 1 – Operating Budget Review
- February 3, at 9 a.m. – Budget Review: Day 2 – Capital Budget Review
- February 6, at 9 a.m. – Budget Review: Day 3 – User Fees, Service Partners, and Final Budget Review
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.
