Leamington council approves 2026 municipal budget

Leamington has increased its budget for the new year, meaning residents will see a 2.5 per cent increase on tax.

Leamington council has approved its 2026 budget, formally adopting the document on Friday that includes a 2.5 per cent increase.

The increase works out to an additional $67.13 per year, or roughly $5.60 per month, on a home assessed at $190,000.

The municipality says the modest increase maintains service levels, addresses inflationary pressures, meets contractual obligations, and advances major capital projects planned for 2026.

The capital projects are worth $79 million and include sewer separation work, road reconstruction, waterfront improvements, and other critical infrastructure upgrades.

• North East Trunk Sanitary Sewer Project
• Seacliff Drive East reconstruction – Regatta to County Road 33
• Seacliff Drive West reconstruction and roundabout
• Waterfront parking and plaza improvements
• Aerial Fire Truck replacement
• Recreation facility upgrades, including refrigeration plant replacement
• Road reconstruction, drainage improvements, and new traffic signals

Mayor Hilda MacDonald says a lot of the money will go to roads and infrastructure.

“We’re looking at investment also on the waterfront, parking and plaza improvements. We’ve got a fire truck that we’re replacing and we’re trying to upgrade our recreation facility and drainage and so on.”

She says the Northeast Trunk Sewer project is a big one that residents will notice in the spring.

“That is taking the sewer to what we call our employment lands on Hwy 77. That’s building the industrial zoned area out there that’s allowing for bigger business in light industry to build there.”

She adds that residents will notice a lot of construction.

“We’ve got Seacliff Drive East construction from Regatta to County Road 31. Again down at the waterfront, parking and plaza improvements which will also be a big deal.”

MacDonald says a lot of the budget is allocated for policing costs.

“We always expect that because it is the biggest portion of our budget. When there’s an 11 per cent increase that is certainly notable but again, people want to be safe and it is a level of service that I’ve never heard from anyone that they want a decrease.”

The municipality says while investing significantly in the community’s future, it continues to take a fiscally responsible approach by conservatively estimating revenues, using reserves to stabilize rates where appropriate, avoiding new debt in 2026, and prioritizing projects that deliver long-term community benefit.

The 2026 Municipal Budget has been adopted. The budget includes a modest 2.5 per cent increase, which works out to $5.59 per month for an average home assessed at $190,000.