Photo of Halton Region headquarters, courtesy of Halton Region
Halton Regional Council has approved the Region’s 2026 Budget and Business Plan, outlining next year’s key investments and projected tax impacts.
The plan details how 2026 funding will advance the priorities set out in Halton’s 2023 – 2026 Strategic Business Plan, with a focus on growth, infrastructure, digital services, housing and community well-being.
Regional Chair Gary Carr said the annual budget acts as a roadmap for maintaining strong services while keeping tax and rate increases as low as possible.
“For more than 30 years, Halton’s AAA/Aaa credit rating has helped us build a strong community that our residents expect and deserve,” adds Chair Carr. “These top ratings mean we can borrow at the lowest possible cost, so every public dollar goes further when financing major infrastructure projects.”
BUDGET APPROVED: Here’s how much your Milton property tax bill is going up
Major investments include an additional $8.6 million for Water and Wastewater state-of-good-repair work, bringing that total to $155.2 million next year. The budget also allocates $3.0 million to add 14 paramedic staff, $2.0 million to further implement the Region’s Digital Strategy, $1.3 million for the Region-Wide Basement Flooding Mitigation Program, $1.1 million to support new and assisted housing, and $1.0 million for food security programs. Another $500,000 will go toward the Halton Region Community Investment Fund, increasing its annual total to $5.5 million.
The approved budget results in a 3.3% tax increase for Regional services and 6.4% for Police services, for a combined impact of 4.6% – the equivalent of $14.65 per $100,000 of assessed residential property value. Water and wastewater rates will rise by 6.0% to maintain system reliability and service quality.
For more, including full breakdowns of services and spending, click here.
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