Owen Sound City Hall. (Matt Hermiz/Bayshore Broadcasting)
Owen Sound’s 2026 budget has been approved and will come with a tax increase of 4.72 per cent.
The budget was deemed adopted during a special meeting Friday after a pair of amendments proposed to Mayor Ian Boddy’s spending plan were voted down by council.
Owen Sound’s 2026 budget includes a total municipal levy of $39-million, an increase of 5.2 per cent over 2025. The combined tax property tax increase — including county and education levies — is 4.72 per cent.
A release from the city explains the average assessed ($230,000) homeowner can expected to see the annual property tax bill rise by $214, or around $18 per month.
It’s the first time the city is going through the new “strong mayor” budget process. Boddy worked with council and staff to come up with the budget, which was first presented in December.
While he set the cap on the budget increase of 5.5 per cent, Boddy still expressed frustration about the higher levy city residents will have to shoulder.
“I still think it’s high for our taxpayers and for our community,” Boddy says. “I don’t have an answer, unless we’re going to start to cut things.”
Owen Sound’s mayor says this is the 16th budget process he’s been involved in and 12th as chair…and he feels like “after a dozen years we haven’t moved the needle enough. It’s just frustrating.”
“Our citizens are still some of the lowest family incomes in the province. That’s a fact we have to deal with. We represent the people of this city, and we have to make the responsible decisions on their behalf,” Boddy says. “We still sit high in taxes per capita … our police is one of the highest most expensive police forces in the province. Our fire department is too.”
According to city budget documents, the fire department levy requirement in 2026 is $6.2-million. Police is $9.5-million.
Boddy then pointed to the provincial government for not properly funding municipalities.
“I’m frustrated the police get stiffed by the province by having to put armed officers at the courthouse with a dollar to go with it,” Boddy says. “I’m frustrated when Hamilton is a composite fire department, Halton Hill is, and Orangeville is. All these places that have grown that are bigger than we are, and we can’t get there. Because we’re not allowed, by a system.”
“And the provincial government will not just make the decision to help out us, and Brockville, and Welland and all those other municipalities that are in the same boat.”
The mayor adds: “It isn’t sustainable. It isn’t sustainable for us … at some point the province needs to step up and take responsibility. We can’t keep doing this.”
The city is expecting more growth in the coming years to increase the tax base, and help ease the burden on residents. Several residential construction projects broke ground in Owen Sound in 2025, including major apartment complexes at the former BCK Foundry property on 1st Avenue West and the old RCA factory property off East Bayshore Road.
“I wish it was there now,” Boddy says. “Hopefully the next mayor takes credit for all the things they’ve done to lower the taxes when that comes. And I’m not being sarcastic.”