Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Read by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date. Check the sources, and tell us if you spot a mistake. What this site can't tell you Read by hand. We read Belleville's own documents for this site in October 2026; the Sources page lists which ones. The comparisons with other places still come from the Province's yearly reports.
A clear, checkable guide to Belleville's budget, taxes and council decisions. A city of about 55,000 people in Eastern Ontario. Every figure links back to the public record.
$22,000,000borrowed at 4.53% until December 2050, approved November 24, 2025
Cities borrow to pay for things that last for decades, like roads and buildings, and pay the loans back over many years, with interest. On November 24, 2025 Belleville’s council passed two borrowing by-laws, for $22,000,000 and $1,100,000. The audited statements show both loans on the books at December 31, 2025: the $22,000,000 loan at 4.53%, due in December 2050, and the $1,100,000 loan at 3.64%, due in December 2035. The City’s total municipal debt grew from $113,417,273 to $128,771,605 in one year, and the part paid from taxes grew from $99,313,153 to $115,852,677. The minutes name the projects only as “Certain Capital Works Described in Schedule A”. We did not find the list of projects, or a plan for paying the loan back, in the documents we read.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 4 sources
In 2024, Belleville collected $12.4M more in its own property tax than in 2023. That is a 10% jump, while prices went up about 2.4%. Only 1 of 11 similar places raised theirs by more. Almost all of it came from a higher tax rate (up 4% for homes); the value of homes on the tax roll grew only 1.2%.
Found automatically from the city's financial reports · 9 sources
$3,000,000total City contribution to The Bridge hub in the 2024 budget, after council’s $2,000,000 amendment
The 2024 operating budget as the staff proposed it already had $1,000,000 for renovations to “The Bridge” Health & Social Service Hub, paid from a savings account (the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund). When council amended the budget it added another $2,000,000, for a total of $3,000,000. Of the extra amount, $1,178,800 came from the tax levy and $821,200 from the same savings account. The City’s own budget document explains this clearly. The question that is left is what residents get: who owns and runs the hub, what it provides, and whether more money will be asked for.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
$1,118,000budgeted for Habitat for Humanity in the 2025 operating budget, apart from the property transfer and fee waiver
Habitat for Humanity Prince Edward Hastings builds homes for families who could not otherwise buy one. Between May 2025 and June 2026 council dealt with the project at 93 Dundas Street East in several steps: a zoning change in May, a by-law on May 26 to transfer the property, a partial waiver of building permit fees on September 8, and an update from the organization on June 22, 2026. The 2025 operating budget also has a line for Habitat for Humanity of $1,118,000. Councillor Kathryn Brown sits on the organization’s board. Each time, the minutes and the City’s registry show that she declared an interest, left the room and did not take part. The City handled the conflict openly. The open question is the total: we found the pieces in different documents, and no one place adds them up.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources
$5,392,401spent on planning and development in 2025, against a budget of $12,798,000
The audited statements show each service’s budget beside what was actually spent. For 2025, planning and development was budgeted at $12,798,000 and spent $5,392,401. Federal government capital grants, budgeted at $21,066,300, came in at $1,716,460. The City ended the year with an operating surplus of $12,440,025 against a budget of $3,715,600. The 2024 budget lists a set of Housing Accelerator Fund projects, paid for entirely from outside money and not from taxes, which may explain part of the gap: the money may be spent over several years. We did not find the City’s own explanation of the 2025 difference.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
26 of 33regular council meetings from February 2025 to September 2026 that included a closed session, by our count from the minutes
Ontario lets councils meet in private for a short list of reasons, such as buying or selling land, staff matters, lawsuits or plans for negotiations. Of the 33 regular council meetings from February 24, 2025 to September 28, 2026 whose minutes we could read, 26 included a closed session (our count from the minutes). Belleville’s minutes are fairly detailed about it: they list each closed item by report number with the legal reason, and the next closed session reviews the earlier closed minutes. What residents cannot see is what was decided: the open minutes we read give no outcomes, and the closed minutes are not published.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Belleville's share by what each service cost in 2024 after its own fees and grants (for example, water bills pay for much of a water system). Real bills also depend on your property class, local charges and any rebates.
How Belleville's share of the bill compares with similar places
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