At the end of November when council finished the 2026 City of Guelph budget, it came with a big “To be continued…” sign. (Not literally.) This is the conclusion. At this special meeting of council, they will tackle the third of the budget that is generated, and in part controlled, by the seven local boards and shared services, but will there be the same wheeling and dealing that happened in November with the City portion? Here’s the preview!
NOTE #1: Delegates will be able to appear at this meeting in-person or via tele-presense but you do have to register with the clerks office before 10 am on Friday January 30. You can also submit written delegations and correspondences for agenda items.
NOTE #2: In addition to meeting in-person, this meeting will also be live-streamed on the City of Guelph’s website here.
NOTE #3: This meeting takes place at the special day and time of Wednesday at 9 am.
2026 Budget Update Local Boards and Shared Services Agencies – As you may recall, council reviewed and amended the City of Guelph portion of the 2026 budget in November. At that meeting, the total tax levy increase for the year was set at 3.47 per cent, but that was without this portion from the seven boards and shared serves that the City funds or co-funds: Police, the Public Library, Public Health, Social Services, The Elliott Community, the Grand River Conservation Authority, and the Downtown Guelph Business Association. The final approval of these budgets was postponed from December to allow more time to find efficiencies.
For these seven services, the increase comes in at $16.05 million, or 4.57 per cent. The biggest increases go to Wellington County ($8.19 million), Guelph Police ($6.63 million), and the Public Library ($2.57 million) with a significantly smaller increase for Public Health and The Elliott. While there were some slight savings in the capital side, this budget does represent a higher-than-planned increase compared to the multi-year budget and despite Mayor Cam Guthrie’s request to limit the increases in this budget (though Guthrie sits on the board of the two biggest offenders).
This is the complete motion:
1) That an amended 2026 operating budget for the City’s local boards and shared services (LBSS) agencies be approved, inclusive of the following:
a) The LBSS agencies budget requirement, net of the proportionate share of assessment growth, totalling an increased net levy requirement over 2025 of $16,053,381 or 4.57 per cent inclusive of the following:
i) Guelph Police Services: an increased tax levy requirement over 2025 of $6,631,188
ii) Guelph Public Library: an increased tax levy requirement over 2025 of $2,574,107
iii) County of Wellington: an increased tax levy requirement over 2025 of $8,191,200
iv) Guelph–Wellington-Dufferin Public Health: an increase tax levy requirement over 2025 of $132,524
v) The Elliott Community, an increase tax levy requirement over 2025 of $61,317
vi) The LBSS proportionate share of assessment growth revenue in the amount of $1,536,955
b) Grand River Conservation Authority budget with an increase in gross operating expenses over 2025 in the amount of $50,000.
c) Total transfers to/from Reserve and Reserve Funds in 2026 in accordance with the LBSS reserve and reserve fund update.
2) That Council approves the application of assessment growth revenue above the amount budgeted to reduce the 2026 tax levy impact, contrary to the prescribed treatment under the Revenue Budgeting Policy.
3) That an amended 2026 net levy requirement from taxation and payment in lieu of property taxes inclusive of City and LBSS agencies up to $383,998,629 be approved.
4) The Downtown Guelph Business Association budget with gross expenditures of $807,754 and a total levy of $742,836.
5) That 2027 and 2028 operating budget forecasts, where one has been provided by the organization, be received for information.
6) An amended 2026 LBSS capital budget with a net decrease of $14,300 from the 2026 adopted budget resulting in the gross 2026 expenditure amount of $5,234,300 inclusive of funding transfer from capital reserve funds and other sources including partnerships, grants, and debt financing.
Guelph Politico 