Early Numbers and Priorities in Carleton Place’s 2026 budget
CARLETON PLACE — Here’s a quick breakdown of the early numbers and priorities shaping Carleton Place’s 2026 budget.
The proposed tax increase is 3%
- Growth is estimated at 2% ($320,000)
- A 3% tax rate increase would add almost $500,000
- The total proposed levy is $17.3 million
What that means for your property tax bill
- Median home assessment: $295,000 (still frozen at 2016 values)
- A 3% increase adds $23.73 per $100,000 of assessment
- For a typical home: roughly $72 a year, about $6 a month
Big pressures driving the increase
- Garbage collection and landfill fees: + $170,000
- Aquatics contract: + $184,000
- Affordable housing and heritage grants: nearly $500,000, funded partly by the Housing Accessibility Fund
- Cost-of-living increase for all staff and council: 2.5% ($169,000)
- OCIF road funding cut: – $82,344
- Staffing proposals: $146,000 pending council approval
- Benefit enhancements: $55,100 pending approval
- OPP policing increase (estimate): 7% for now, could reach 11%
The 2026 capital plan is $152.6 million
Most of that comes from three major growth-related projects:
- Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion, $73 million
- Water Treatment Plant expansion, $40 million
- OPP detachment design, $4.85 million
Other notable items
- Pool building code repairs, $3.78 million, requiring a 12 to 14-month shutdown
- Public Works Yard construction, $3 million
- New O’Donovan Park, $450,000
- Riverside Park playground, $150,000
- Riverside Park splashpad, $175,000
Smaller upgrades touching everyday life
- Johnson Street playground, $75,000
- Kinder Yard AODA retrofit, $200,000
- Library accessibility upgrades, $40,000
- LED streetlight upgrades, $150,000
- Arena lifecycle work (roofs, HVAC, control systems, scoreboard)
Carleton Place is still one of the lowest-taxed communities nearby
- Even with a 3% increase, 2026 rates will sit below the 2025 rates of most neighbouring towns.
- Only Ottawa remains lower due to its large commercial tax base.
Strong-mayor powers apply, but won’t be used
- The mayor has 10 days to veto council budget changes.
- Mayor Toby Randell has publicly stated he won’t use the strong-mayor veto.
- If no veto is issued, the budget is adopted immediately.
- If a veto is issued, council can override it with five of seven votes.
What happens next
- Final adoption is expected no later than Dec. 6.
- Department heads continue presenting requests next week.
- Items needing more time go to a “parking lot” for deeper review.
- A second day of deliberations is scheduled for next Thursday.
RELATED:
- Carleton Place flags rising workload, deferred upgrades in 2026
- Carleton Place outlines major water and wastewater projects for 2026
- Carleton Place eyes major park upgrades in 2026 budget draft
- Carleton Place opens 2026 budget talks with proposed three per cent tax increase
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