2026 Budget

Introduction

Halton Hills is growing and the budget is, too. In 2026, with increased population and industrial growth and higher demand for everything from swimming lessons to building permits and road repairs, both income and expenses are rising.

The Budget includes the costs of Town operations such as local roads, fire services, recreation facilities, and administration. It also includes income from user fees (such as arena use or planning applications), grants, building and development charges. The primary source of income, reflecting the costs of services that are shared by local residents and property owners, is the property tax.

In 2026, rising service requirements and inflation will increase the overall income and expense budget by over 6%. Note that non-tax income such as user fees and grants is projected to significantly offset related costs. As a result, the budgeted balance to be shared among property owners reflects a targeted property tax increase averaging 3.5%.

Property taxes also contribute to Police, Region of Halton and Boards of Education budgets. Halton Region services include water and wastewater service, infrastructure, major roads, social services and housing, and public health. The Police budget, which has risen sharply in the past two years, is also funded by municipal property owners.

These budgets are added to Town-issued property tax bills. Current targets from Halton Region, the Police and Education Boards suggest that a final blended property tax increase for Halton Hills property owners could be approximately 5%.

A comprehensive list of the roles of government is available here.

Check out how where the tax money is invested and sources of Town revenue under 'key information’.

Mayor’s Direction

The Mayor has directed staff that the Town’s portion of the 2026 property tax increase should be no greater than 3.5%. The increase is to include dedicated funding of $500,000 for the State of Good Repair Levy to support the maintenance and repair of existing infrastructure and $695,000 to the Fire Services Levy to ensure the Town’s first responders have the resources needed to protect residents. The term ‘state of good repair’ refers to keeping assets in good condition or good working order. For the Town, this means investing in its current assets, such as facilities, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure that the municipality already owns.

Factors Impacting the 2026 Budget

There are many factors that impact or influence the development of the 2026 budget. Some of these factors are beyond the municipality’s control such as world events (e.g., tariffs and fluctuating gas costs) and decisions of higher orders of government. Consideration is also given to the Town’s current financial state and the need to balance investment in existing services and infrastructure against the desire to keep tax increases low. The Town has a finite stream of revenue from property taxes, user fees, development charges (arising from growth), and non-tax-base funding such as special federal government program grants.

Many of the Town’s fiscal challenges are also experienced by other municipalities across Ontario, including non-discretionary impacts like provincially directed reductions in development charges and downloaded services. All of these factors are considered in developing the budget.

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