Mayor's 2026 Budget

No, the legislation does not allow the Mayor to delegate their powers and duties related to the budget, the duty could only be forfeited by the Mayor by not presenting a budget prior to February 1, 2026.

The Municipal Act, 2001, is a provincial statute that regulates Strong Mayor Powers in Ontario. The Mayor’s special powers and duties under Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001, include powers to propose the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a mayoral veto and council override process.

In a municipality designated by the province, including the Municipality of Kincardine, the mayor is required by the Municipal Act, 2001 and Ontario Regulation 530/22 to prepare a budget for the municipality and provide it to each member of council and to the clerk on or before February 1^st of each year.  

After the budget is presented, council has 30 days to pass resolutions to amend the mayor's budget. If there are no amendments passed within the 30-day period, the mayor’s budget is adopted.

If council passes resolutions to amend the mayor's budget, the mayor can decide to veto council’s resolutions within 10 days of the expiry of the time period for council to pass a resolution.

If the mayor doesn’t veto any amendments within the 10-day period, the budget as amended by Council resolutions is deemed adopted.

If the mayor vetoes council’s resolutions to amend the mayor's budget, council can vote to override the veto within 15 days of the expiry of the time period for the mayor to veto a resolution. In the vote to override a veto, two-thirds of the members of council must vote to override the veto or the vote will fail. If council overrides the mayor’s veto, the amendment passed by council will continue to have effect. If council does not vote to override the mayor’s veto, then the budget is adopted by the municipality after the expiry of the time period for council to override the mayor’s veto.

Strong Mayor Power’s provide a specific veto process with respect to the Mayor’s Budget. The mayor is expected to present a budget prior to February 1 of the budget year, and the council may make amendments to the budget.  The Mayor may veto the amendments made by council, and council can then override the mayor’s veto with a 2/3 vote up to 15 days after the mayor’s veto.  The mayoral power to veto municipal council amendments to the Mayor’s Budget is not limited to provincial priorities.

The Mayor’s Budget is ‘deemed to be adopted’ based on timeframes set out in the legislation, not approved by council.

A capital budget and forecast is where the municipality plans for upcoming years and identifies how to pay for municipal infrastructure projects, such as road reconstruction, park improvements and public buildings.  For example, the cost of rebuilding Queen Street would fall under the capital program for budget which was forecasted for several years prior to construction.

The Municipality of Kincardine relies on several funding sources, some that occur each year and others that are one-time funds. These funding sources include:

• Development charges levied against developers to cover the cost of new infrastructure in growth areas.
• Issuing of debt
• Senior government transfers for infrastructure projects
• Transfers from reserve funds
• Transfers from the operating budget
• Property taxes and/or utility rates?

A capital project is a project that helps maintain or improve a municipal asset, often called infrastructure. It includes projects such as:

• Major maintenance or rehabilitation projects
• New construction, expansion, renovation, or replacement projects for existing facilities
• Purchases of major equipment

Project costs can include:

• Architectural planning
• Contract services
• Cost of land
• Engineering

The operating budget captures the municipality’s plans for day-to-day operations, including salaries, utilities and supplies to deliver municipal services.  For example, the cost associated with plowing, sanding and salting the roads in the winter are considered an operating expense. 

Provincial legislation requires that municipal budgets in Ontario must be balanced annually. The Municipality of Kincardine cannot budget for a surplus or deficit.

To ensure a municipality's long-term stability and protection against unforeseen circumstances (e.g., snowstorms, flooding), legislation allows municipalities to allocate surplus funds to reserve funds.  Council has adopted a policy which directs where any potential budget surplus will be directed.   

Reserves and reserve funds are monies set aside to fund future expenditures, like personal savings accounts. For example, the Municipality of Kincardine has a capital fund which is used to fund specific infrastructure projects for now and in the future.

The Municipality of Kincardine uses long-term debt to fund larger capital expenditures. It is like a homeowner’s mortgage and is repaid over time through payments that include interest, which gets included through the operating budget.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) assesses all properties in Ontario. The assessed value is based on valid property sales in the community. This method of assessment is called the Current Value Assessment. 

Learn about the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation's(MPAC) assessment update postponement.

The Minister of Finance has opted to postpone a province-wide property assessment update. Property assessments for the 2026 property tax year will continue to be based on Jan. 1, 2016, current values.

Your tax bill is determined by multiplying your assessment by the tax rates determined by the Municipality of Kincardine, Bruce County, and the Province of Ontario (education).

Approximately $215,000 (based on 2025 data).

There are multiple factors that affect the municipal budget and tax levy each year and have an impact on both revenues and expenses.  Inflation is a significant factor, but others include fluctuating energy rates, aging infrastructure that requires rehabilitation or replacement, and in some cases increased service levels.