Belleville Council has approved the 2026 Budget Operating Guidelines with a vote of 5-3.
Councillor Seu was not present for today’s meeting.
The 2026 Draft Operating Budget will be released to Council and the public on January 29th, 2026.
A survey went live on May 13th, 2025, with a total of 705 responses received, primarily comprised of homeowners from Belleville’s urban tax table.
When asked about current tax levels in relation to the services they fund, more than 70% of respondents indicated a preference to either maintain or reduce taxes, even if that meant scaling back some discretionary services.
The survey also asked participants whether they would support increases to user fees, and if so, which ones. While just over 20% of respondents opposed any increases, most were generally open to increases across a range of services. Bag Tags received the least support for an increase, followed closely by Transit Fares.
More than 70% of respondents felt the existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on the City’s public dashboard were sufficient. However, among those who wanted additional performance measures, there was interest in the development of KPIs that would enhance transparency by clearly outlining how tax dollars are allocated and identifying opportunities for cost savings and operational efficiencies, increase public understanding of the use and effectiveness of safety services, including Police, Fire, and By-law Enforcement, showcase the City’s initiatives and outcomes in addressing homelessness and social challenges to support informed funding decisions, track and improve the City’s responsiveness to infrastructure needs, focusing on road, sidewalk, and general maintenance, and measure and report on progress related to housing affordability, economic development, and overall community growth.
An amendment was brought forward to have the tax rate increase not exceed 3.75%, but this failed after a tie vote. The original motion of a 5% increase was passed.
(HAILEY MACDONALD)
