At their November 12 General Committee meeting, Huntsville councillors unanimously approved two-year consolidated budgets for 2025 and 2026 with tax rate increases of 4.84% and 4.87%, respectively.
Those rates incorporate assessment growth of about 2.59% for 2025 and an estimated 2.11% for 2026. On the tax bill, once the estimated District and education rate is incorporated, ratepayers will see an increase of about $107 per $300,000 of assessment for 2025 and an estimated increase of another $111 in 2026, also per $300,000 of assessment. See the figures below.
Councillors managed to decrease the 2025 budget by about $230,000 [updated with a total funding of $5.2M], which is equivalent to about 1% on the tax rate and an estimated $270,000 [updated with a total funding of $5.8M] from the 2026 budget. Huntsville Mayor Nancy Alcock was not at the meeting but Deputy Mayor Dan Armour noted that a financial survey conducted by the Town had noted that one of the top priorities for ratepayers involved the state of roads. He suggested that rather than offset the levy by the reductions, that the money go into the Town’s capital reserve for roads.
Armour’s suggestion received unanimous support from councillors.
The reductions came mostly from the elimination of new hires, such as a part-time library marketing coordinator position for about $26,120 (starting in mid-year), a full-time health and safety specialist position for $131,000, and a full-time IT tech position for $101,000. Other items slated for 2026 were moved to 2025 and items such as a hot tub at $400,000 for the Canada Summit Centre and an ice floor cover will be paused until funding sources other than the levy are found.
Councillor Scott Morrison, who ran the meeting, thanked everyone involved.
The committee’s recommendation still needs to be ratified by council. The Town is expected to release an updated consolidated budget with the budget items removed. In the meantime, you can find the draft budget before the changes, HERE under 5.1.1. You can also watch the discussion HERE.
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