2026 Belleville Capital Budget

For more information or to provide feedback on the budget:

• [email protected]
• 613-968-6481
• 2026 draft budget comment card

November 18, 2025 – Belleville approves Capital Budget

• Heritage Park Playground moved up a year from the 2027 budget to the 2026 budget

October 27, 2025 – Draft 2026 Capital Budget and 10-year Capital Plan

Capital Budget

The City of Belleville proposed a draft Capital Budget of $55.5M for 2026, funding 107 projects, a 3.31% increase from 2025 Capital Budget total of $53.7M. User rate supported projects (water and wastewater) accounted for $14.3M.

Maintenance (79% – $44M, 92 projects)

The budget is heavily focused on replacing and maintaining existing assets, with over 79% of the funds dedicated to keeping services running.

• $5M Bridge Street East – Farley Avenue to Haig Road – Phase 2 – Construction (1.006)
• $3.95M to replace five conventional buses with hybrids and replace mobility transit buses. All five are given the highest AMP Risk Rating of 25 (Very High) (1.050-1.054)
• $2.2M Road Resurfacing Program (1.013) – Earl St., Elgin St., Elmer St., Oak St., Railway Terr., Reid St., Ridley St., Wallbridge Cres., Harmony Rd., Clearview Rd., Zion Rd., Mitchell Rd., Smith Rd., and Baldwin St. Expected to begin May 2026 and be completed by October 2026. Funded by Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF).
• $1.55M Shave & Pave Program (1.012) – Campbell St., Farley Ave., Lambert Dr., Russell St., Jane St., Ashley Ln., Brown St., Southview Ave., Dufferin Ave., and Burrell St. Expected to begin May 2026 and be completed by October 2026. Funded by Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF).
• $1.415M Quinte Sports and Wellness Center Annual Asset Renewal (1.071) from the Casino – Infra Main and OCIF
• $600K Pavement Sealing Program (1.014) from Casino – Infra Main
• $250K 2003 Zamboni 520 (1.055)
• $20K Log Cabin Monument (1.076) refurbishment from Asset Management Reserve Fund

New ($11M, 15 projects)

• $6.3M North River Front Trail Extension (1.022) west side of the river and will allow residents a trail to extend further north than currently where the trail ends at the Canada Flag Display. This project was pre-approved at the February 10, 2025 Council meeting under report DTOS-2025-02 and is contingent on receiving $3.78M in funding from the Federal Government’s Active Transportation Fund application that is currently under review. Other sources of funding include $989k from the Asset Management Reserve Fund and $1.53M from the Development Charge Reserve Fund.
• $1.05M Sidney St / College St W Intersection Widening – Additional Property and Utilities (1.007) for additional funds associated with property acquisitions and utility relocations based on current estimates.
• $800K Clarence Bird Park Phase 2 (1.077) at 32 Hampton Ridge Drive in Ward 2, in the Settlers Ridge housing development. Includes parking and trail lighting, a multiuse court that can also be used as a community ice rink, landscaping including tree planting (where allowed), and irrigation.
• $565K Northeast Industrial Park Expansion – Site Clearing (1.010)
• $250K Black Diamond Road Servicing – Additional Funding – Property and Approvals (1.009)
• $200K Deerfield Walkway to Cloverleaf Drive (1.023)
• $100K Multi-Use Trail – Hydro Corridor – Construction – Phase 1 – Additional Funding (1.021) is “identified as a cycling link in the Cycling Network map included in the City’s 2014 Transportation Master Plan”
• $41K Outdoor AED Pilot Program – Parks (3) – (1.062) – Two year pilot project that includes the installation of AED units at Zwick’s Centennial Park West, MaryAnne Sills Park, Clifford Sunny Belch Park.

Reserves and debt

New debt accounts for $1.9M (3.4%) of the capital plan and is specifically for two new Fire Pumper trucks. The estimated tax impact of this new debt is 0.09%.

• $950K Unit 3 – 2007 Freightliner Rosenbauer Pump – Stn 3 (1.056)
• $950K Unit 4 – 2007 Freightliner Rosenbauer Pump – Stn 4 (1.056)

Belleville Police Services’ Capital Budget requests

$1.195M (1.088 and 1.089), including:

The Casino – Vehicle Replacement Reserve Fund will fund the replacement of a Tahoe & Sienna.

The remaining $1M will be funded by the Police Services Reserve Fund:

• $114K for Prisoner Transport Van
• $100K for ‘Community Rescue Vehicle’
• $49K to replace 60 Samsung S23+ phones that are under 3 years old (released in 2023). In April 2025, BPS IT Unit’s 2024 Annual Report mentioned the successful rollout of approximately 120 new mobile devices were deployed to sworn and select civilian staff. Vehicle docking stations were also updated to accommodate the new hardware.
• $30K for Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Camera Improvements
• $15K for 20 AVON respirators given to front line officers for defending against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) agents, as well as toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and toxic industrial materials (TIMs).
• $3K for 4 WARQ Training Protective Helmets
• $2K for a Concept 2 BikeErg exercise bike
• $1.5K for 2 Kestrel 5700 weather meters for basic sniper courses

Revenue sources

The $55.5 million budget is financed as follows:

Capital Plan

10-Year Capital Plan Map shows where and when (colour-coded) the capital projects will be done categorized by Development, Environmental and Transportation

Here are the most significant expenditures, major annual spikes, and key financial anomalies for the 2026-2035 forecast:

Total capital spending fluctuates significantly, with 2027 and 2032 standing out as major anomalies driven by 2 planned large-scale projects funded primarily by new long-term debt.

• $57.1M for Northeast Industrial Park Expansion in 2027 – Capital spending of $123.5M, with Taxation portion doubling to $73M and Water 2.5x more than 2026 at $25M. This increase will be funded by roughly $64M in debt.
• $86.9M for a new Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2032 – Capital spending of $184M, $107M of which is attributed to Wastewater projects. This increase will be funded by roughly $75M in debt, $68M in Reserve Funds and $28M in Development Charges.

Asset Management Reserve Fund gap

The Asset Management Reserve Fund is severely under-funded relative to its target for most of the plan’s duration. The fund’s starts at 31.34% of its target in 2026 and drops to a low of just 12.87% in 2030.

Draft budget survey results

Which tax billing area do you live in?

While considering the [Capital Budget] guidelines, are you generally satisfied with the projects included in the draft 2026 Capital Budget?

In your opinion, are there any service areas that you think require general immediate attention but may not be appropriately reflected in this budget?

Based on the projects listed in the 10-Year Capital Plan, are you generally satisfied with the projects and/or service areas included?

Approximately 70% of spending in the 10-Year Capital plan focuses on the maintenance and replacement of existing assets, while 30% is to invest in new infrastructure to support growth in the community. When comparing these proportions to the recommendations outlined in the City’s Asset Management Plan, a considerably higher investment is planned for the maintenance and replacement of infrastructure. Which of the following statements best represents your opinion on these proportions?

The City adopted levels of service tied to its assets earlier this year. These can be explored on the City’s KPI Dashboard. In your opinion, what additional levels of service would you like the City to report on?

Are there any specific topics surrounding the City’s Capital Budget or 10-Year Capital Plan processes that you wish you had more information and background on?

October 6, 2025 – Draft 2026 Capital Budget and 10-year Capital Plan survey

The survey was available for roughly three weeks from October 6 to November 3.

Comments can be submitted to the 2026 draft budget comment card.

The 2026 Capital Budget and 10-Year Capital Plan Survey is an opportunity for community members to provide input on both documents. Those interested in having their say are encouraged to review the drafts and take the survey before it closes on Nov. 3, 2025. The survey results and feedback collected will be considered at the capital budget meeting on Nov. 18.

Capital Budget

The 2026 Capital Budget has now been drafted and we are seeking your input again prior to the City’s adoption. The capital budget is the City’s plan for making large investments in infrastructure and services.

Capital Plan

The 10-year Capital Plan provides a roadmap for capital projects and investments in the long-term.

Staff have leveraged the information presented in the City’s Asset Management Plan to update its 10-Year Capital Plan. This plan will act as a guiding document in the development of future annual capital budgets and will be continually updated as assets are evaluated and prioritized based on their risk, condition and the City’s need to service growth.

June 23, 2025 – Budget guidelines

Staff recommend the following 2026 Capital Budget and 10 Year Capital Plan guidelines be approved by Council:

1. Staff shall prioritize capital renewal projects that are identified as high risk (i.e., high consequence and probability of asset failure) in the City’s Asset Management Plan, and that in the case of funding constraints, staff collectively defer capital projects that have a lower risk and prioritization score, and that where these scores are equal, priority be given to core infrastructure assets.
2. Growth-related capital projects be prioritized inline with the Asset Management Plan and approved Master planning documents. Prioritization will consider availability of alternative funding sources beyond the tax levy or user rates (such as development charges), the return on investment for both tax and rate payers, and consistency with the City’s Strategic Plan, departmental operating plans, and community priorities.
3. Staff bring forth a proposed increase in contribution to reserve funds for capital projects in the 2026 draft Operating Budget in accordance with the recommendations set out in the Asset Management Plan and as detailed in Staff Report No. DDF-2025-06. The updates to the 10-Year Capital Plan will reflect all relevant asset data and decision-making criteria, including asset condition and risk assessments as outlined in the Asset Management Plan. The Plan will also incorporate a balanced financial strategy that considers the impact on taxpayers and ratepayers, the City’s debt capacity, and targets established under the Reserve and Reserve Fund Policy.

June 10, 2025 – Preliminary budgets survey results

The survey was available for roughly three weeks from May 13th to June 6th with a total of 705 responses received.

1. Do you live and/or own a business in Belleville?

• I am a homeowner
• I am a business owner
• I am a tenant
• One or more of the above
• None of the above (please specify)

2. What is your tax billing area?

• Belleville Urban
• Belleville Rural
• Cannifton Urban
• Cannifton Rural
• Cannifton Rural to Urban

3. How familiar are you with how the City develops the annual Capital and Operating Budgets?

• Very familiar
• Somewhat familiar
• Not at all familiar

4. Due to the increased cost of maintaining service levels and supporting infrastructure, the City must balance property taxes with increasing demand for services. The City has a number of options when balancing the budget, which includes the management of discretionary services. Please indicate which of the following statements below comes close to capturing your point of view:

• Increase taxes to an extent that maintains tax-funded services.
• Maintain taxes, even if it means reducing some discretionary tax-funded services.
• Decrease taxes by reducing discretionary tax-funded services.
• Increase taxes to expand and/or enhance tax-funded services.

5. For each of services listed below that are directly or indirectly provided by the City, please indicate whether the level of service should be increased, maintained, or decreased. For reference, the 2025 operating budget provides information on spending by service areas.

• Building, planning, and development
• Bylaw enforcement
• Community Events
• Doctor Recruitment
• Economic development
• Firefighting and fire prevention
• Greenspaces (parks and playgrounds, sports fields)
• Heritage, museums, and cultural events
• Information technology (online forms/apps, cybersecurity, public Wi-Fi)
• Library services
• Long-term care (externally contracted)
• Parking
• Policing
• Public transit
• Recreation (arenas, camps, aquatics, fitness)
• Road and sidewalk maintenance
• Social Housing (externally contracted)
• Stormwater management
• Traffic and pedestrian safety (streetlights and signs)
• Winter maintenance (snowplowing, sanding, and salting)
• Waste and recycling collection (externally contracted)
• Water and wastewater services

6. The following services are partially funded user fees. Please identify which service(s) you would support an increase in user fees to reduce reliance on property taxes (select all that apply) 

• Arenas
• Museum & Culture Services
• Recreation Programs
• Pools
• Sports Fields
• Transit (only applicable to Belleville Urban tax billing area)
• Garbage Bag Tags
• Dog Tags/Licenses/Permits
• None of the above

7. The City intends to update its 2025 Departmental Operating Plan in the annual budget process. This document provides a comprehensive overview of past accomplishments, strategic objectives, operational goals, key initiatives, key performance indicators, and budget projections for the upcoming year. Based on the City’s existing Key Performance Indicators, are there additional performance indicators and/or activities that you would like the City to regularly report on?

8. You answered, “Yes” to the previous question, “Based on the City’s existing Key Performance Indicators, are there additional performance indicators and/or activities that you would like the City to regularly report on?”

Respondents are seeking performance metrics that:

• 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 measurable 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 quality.
• Measure and report on progress related to housing affordability, economic development, and overall community growth.

9. The Capital Budget is the City’s plan for making large investments in infrastructure. Capital expenses include major maintenance to public buildings, construction or purchase of new buildings, purchase of major equipment, significant road resurfacing projects, water and wastewater infrastructure, and more.

In your opinion, how important is maintaining existing infrastructure in the community? For reference, the 2025 capital budget provides information on spending by infrastructure service areas.

• Very important
• Somewhat important
• Not important
• Unsure

10. In your opinion, how important is adding new infrastructure to the community to service growth?

• Very important
• Somewhat important
• Not important
• Unsure

11. In accordance with the Asset Management Plan, the City must prioritize Capital projects and annually update its 10-year capital plan. In your opinion, select the most important infrastructure areas. (select all that apply)

• Transportation (e.g., roads, streetlights, bridges)
• Water (e.g., treatment plant, water pipes)
• Wastewater (e.g., treatment plant, wastewater pipes)
• Stormwater (e.g., culverts, stormwater manholes)
• City Facilities (e.g., community & recreation centres, City Hall)
• Parks (e.g., playgrounds)
• Fire (e.g., firetrucks, fire stations)
• Police (e.g., patrol vehicles, police station)
• Fleet & Equipment (e.g., snowplows, lawnmowers)
• Information Technology (e.g., servers, computer equipment)
• Library (i.e., facility, books)
• Parking (i.e., parking lots, meters)
• All the above

12. Where do you receive information about the City’s budget?

• City website
• City Council meetings
• Community Press
• Social Media
• Billboards/marquees
• Other

13. You responded, “Other” to the question, “If the City were to increase communication efforts on the budget, how would you prefer to receive that information?” Can you please specify?

Dashboard for the operating and capital budgets like Belleville’s KPI Dashboard showing:

5-year trends (ideally line graphs) of:

• Budgeted vs actual spending, including variance (%) and $
• Spending by category or department
• Rate of spending increase by category or department
• Spending per capita by category or department
• Rate of per capita spending increase by category or department
• Drill-down capabilities to cost centres (e.g., snow removal, garbage collection)
• Current year’s proposed budget increases by category
• Highlighting major or high-cost capital projects, including total budget and status (e.g., planned, underway, completed)
• Ability to sort and filter by department, category, service type, amount, rate of increase, funding source.

14. If the City were to increase communication efforts on the budget, how would you prefer to receive that information?

• Emails/newsletters
• Social media
• Newspaper ads and notices in the Community Press
• Other (please specify)

15. I would like to sign up to receive ongoing updates on the City’s budget. (Please provide a valid email address)

May 13, 2025 – Preliminary budgets survey

The survey was available for roughly three weeks from May 13th to June 6th with a total of 705 responses received.

The City’s Preliminary Budget Survey is meant to engage stakeholders in the early stages of the budget process and allow them to provide their feedback on operational and capital spending priorities, as well as the overall approach to budget development.

The results of the survey will be presented to the Finance Committee and Council to assist with the development of guidelines for budget preparation later this year. To learn more about the City’s budget process and to review past budgets adopted by Council, visit www.belleville.ca/budget.

May 12, 2025 – Budget timeline and public engagement communication plan