Sarnia's mayor was not pleased with the budget passed by city council on Tuesday, citing affordability concerns, after amendments reflected a tax increase of just over four per cent.
With changes made during deliberations, city staff said the operating budget of $196.8 million reflects a 4.63 per cent increase. This translates to a 4.32 per cent increase on the city portion of property taxes inside the transit area and 4.23 per cent increase outside the transit area.
The tax hike represents a $46 increase per $100,000 of residential assessment for homeowners inside the transit levy area, and a $42 increase for those outside the transit levy area.
The capital budget is sitting at $70 million.
Mayor Mike Bradley initially proposed a 3.1 per cent rate increase after he used strong mayor powers to alter the draft budget.
"This was not a good budget for the people of Sarnia," Bradley said while speaking with local media after Tuesday's meeting.
The mayor can veto a resolution passed during budget deliberations within a 10-day period. If he doesn't, the budget will be adopted by the municipality.
Bradley said at this time, he's unsure if he'll veto any items.
If a veto is submitted by the mayor, council can override the decision (with six votes needed) within 15 days after the mayor's 10-day deadline.
Amendments to the mayor's draft budget included moving a few items from the unfunded capital projects list to the funded category. One of which included the Bright's Grove Library hub project.
Councillor Anne Marie Gillis' motion to add $2 million to the project's reserve was supported. Council agreed to redirect $1 million for fire engine replacement, $500,000 from the tax stabilization fund, and $500,000 from the development charge reserve fund to advance the project.
City Treasurer Kristen McGill confirmed Gillis' motion to move money within reserves would not impact the tax levy.
"This is a shovel ready project to be tendered, according to the architect," said Gillis. "Shovel ready projects need to be a priority for our city to ensure that we continue to maintain and improve our assets."
A report to council said the architect, Joseph Passa of Passa Architects, agreed to lower the additional fee to complete the detailed design work by 50 per cent to $106,000. Prior to Tuesday's meeting, $4.08 million remained in the fund allocated toward the $5.8 million project.
Council also supported Gillis' motion to borrow money to add $5 million to the police budget for a new headquarters.
The Sarnia Police Service Board offered a "compromise" during the November 17 council meeting and requested $25 million for the project's first phase.
City/County Councillor Bill Dennis agreed with the mayor's stance that now is not the time to fund a new police facility.
"People simply cannot afford it," Dennis said.
Mayor Bradley and councillors Dennis, Terry Burrell, and Dave Boushy voted against the idea.
The Sarnia BACE project, a proposed health and community complex, was also moved to the funded capital projects list.
City/County Councillor Brian White introduced a successful motion to finance $4.1 million in 2026, with the understanding that the city is going to continue investigating the project.
"This isn't a green light. This is an opportunity to make sure that within the next year, we have the opportunity to move forward with this proposal," White said. "We have the opportunity to say 'no' if it does not meet our demands."
Bradley and Burrell voted against the motion.
City council decided to discontinue the ICI (Industrial, Commercial and Institutional) collection of recycling for non-eligible sources, other than the downtown and Mitton Street designated areas, as of January 1, 2026.
General Manager of Engineering and Operations David Jackson said letters will be sent out this week to impacted parties and messaging will be shared on social media.
As previously reported, Circular Materials Ontario will no longer offer the collection of recycling to existing ICI customers along its residential routes.
City staff are trying to get clarification on how recycling collection will occur for areas like Mitton Village and downtown, where recycling is often mixed at the curb between residential and commercial properties.
Municipal grants were awarded to four initiatives, as listed below.
- $200 to Lambton Farm Safety.
- $80,000 to Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team and Bluewater Health for physician recruitment and retention.
- $5,000 to Junior Achievement South Western Ontario to help roughly 200 high school students discover different career options.
- $5,000 to the Arthritis Society Canada which offers a monthly webinar workshop.
Similar to previous years, Councillor Dennis questioned the amount of money spent on consultants and asked for a 50 per cent reduction fee. However, the motion failed. City staff said certain capital projects cannot advance without hiring a consultant and it's not cost effective for the city to hire an expert as a full time employee.
Prior to the amendments passed, the City of Sarnia was on track to be debt free in January 2026.
The city is expected to have a reserve balance of $37.68 million to start 2026 and is projected to end the year with a balance of $23.8 million.
