Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Belleville is run by an elected council of 9 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the city day to day.

Current council

• MayorNeil Ellismayor@belleville.ca
• Councillor, Ward 1Lisa Anne Chattencouncillor.chatten@belleville.ca
• Councillor, Ward 1Barbara Enright-Millercouncillor.enright-miller@belleville.ca
• Councillor, Ward 1Kelly Hendersoncouncillor.henderson@belleville.ca
• Councillor, Ward 1Sean Kellycouncillor.kelly@belleville.ca
• Councillor, Ward 1Margaret Seucouncillor.seu@belleville.ca
• Councillor, Ward 1Garnet Thompsoncouncillor.thompson@belleville.ca
• Councillor, Ward 2Kathryn Ann Browncouncillor.brown@belleville.ca
• Councillor, Ward 2Paul Carrcouncillor.carr@belleville.ca

Names and official email addresses from the city's council page. None of the members lists a public social media account there.

Top number: pay. Second number: benefits and expenses together, such as health cover, mileage, conferences and training. Exactly what goes in it differs a little from city to city; the note below says what this city’s statement includes. Some members take the city’s health plan and some do not, so a higher second number is not a problem by itself. The statements give only totals; the receipts behind them can be requested from the clerk.

Each year links to the city's statement. From the treasurer’s 2025 report to council under the Municipal Act, s. 284 (Report DF-2026-10, March 23, 2026 agenda, PDF page 82, a table). “pay” is the council remuneration column. “other” is everything else on the member’s lines: taxable benefits, other benefits, pensions, conference, accommodation, travel and cultural exchange expenses, and pay for local boards (the Mayor: $21,734.74 from Elexicon and $3,000 from the Police Services Board; Councillor Enright-Miller $3,000 from the Police Services Board; Councillors Brown, Carr, Henderson and Malette small amounts from Quinte Conservation). The report’s total for council and boards is $626,360.34. Kelly Henderson joined council in June 2025 and Chris Malette left it in 2025, so each shows a partial year. Councillor Thompson’s pay is higher than the others’ ($44,556.10); the statement does not say why. We found only the 2025 statement as a City document; we did not read earlier years.

• Yes
  Budgets posted online

  Operating and capital budgets for 2021 to 2026 are posted, with the list of changes (“issues”), tax-impact tables and the survey results. The 2024 and 2025 operating budgets show three years of actual spending beside the budget for each account. The City also links the recordings of the 2026 budget meetings. Source

• Yes
  Meeting agendas and minutes

  Agendas and minutes for council and its committees are on the CivicWeb portal. Council meets about every two weeks, and the minutes of the September 28, 2026 meeting were posted when we looked. Each meeting is posted as a PDF and a web page. Source

• Yes
  Conflicts of interest registry online

  The City posts the registry on its website for January 2025 to September 2026. Each entry gives the meeting, the item and the general nature of the interest (for example, “On Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity Prince Edward Hastings”). Older registries (2023, 2024) are in the document library. Source

• Partly
  Meeting videos posted

  The portal has a Live Stream page and the City links its YouTube channel and the recordings of the budget meetings. We did not list the channel, so we do not know how many council meetings are kept or for how long. Source

• Yes
  Council pay and expenses

  The treasurer’s yearly report under the Municipal Act, section 284, goes to council and is in the agenda package. The 2025 report (DF-2026-10) was on the March 23, 2026 agenda. We did not find a link to it on the City’s website; its FOI page lists council remuneration as a record that is released routinely. Source

• Yes
  Audited financial statements

  The 2023, 2024 and 2025 consolidated statements are posted. Each has a clean opinion (“present fairly”) from KPMG LLP. The auditor’s reports are dated June 27, 2024 (for 2023), August 12, 2025 (for 2024) and June 22, 2026 (for 2025). Source

• Partly
  Closed meetings reported in public

  Council’s minutes list each closed item with its report number and the legal reason from the Municipal Act. The open minutes we read do not say what was decided in closed session. The City says it will put any closed meeting investigator’s report on a public agenda. Source

• Yes
  Tenders and contract awards

  Open bids are on the City’s bids and tenders site. Council agendas carry a table of awards with the date, project, vendor, bid amount and the net cost to the City, for example in the March 23, 2026 agenda. Source

• Yes
  Strong mayor decisions posted

  The City lists each decision the Mayor makes under the strong mayor rules, with a link to the document. It lists three: two in 2024 and one on August 10, 2026. Source

• Yes
  2022 election candidate financial statements

  The City posts a PDF for each 2022 candidate for Mayor, Ward 1 and Ward 2, and for school trustee. We did not read them. Source

• Agendas, minutes and meeting videos (CivicWeb)

  The City’s meeting portal: calendar, agendas, minutes, by-laws, policies and the declaration of interest registry. The City’s council page links to it.

• YouTube: City of Belleville

  The City’s YouTube channel, linked from its website and from the meeting portal. The budget page links to the recordings of the budget meetings. We did not list the channel to check which other meetings are posted.

• News

  City news releases, with a way to subscribe. Linked from the City’s Stay Connected page.

• Belleville Updates newsletter

  The City’s monthly newsletter, linked from its Stay Connected page.

• Facebook

  The City’s Facebook page, linked from its website.

• Instagram

  The City’s Instagram account, linked from its website.

• X (Twitter)

  The City’s account, linked from its website.

• LinkedIn

  The City’s LinkedIn page, linked from its meeting portal.

1. Send the request in writing to the city clerk (the freedom of information coordinator), on the city’s form or in a letter, with the $5 application fee.
2. Describe the records, not the answer you want. Dates, departments and the kind of record (a list, invoices, emails) make a request quicker and cheaper.
3. The city has 45 business days to answer (the law changed in 2026; older guides say 30 days). It can charge for search time and copies, but must send an estimate first if the fees will be over $25.
4. Some parts can be held back, such as legal advice or personal information about other people. The city must say which part of the law it relied on.
5. If you are refused, or the fees seem too high, you can appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner within 30 business days of the city’s decision.

The city's request form (on its Forms page) · The law · Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

• Every payment the City made

  The budget and the audited statements give totals by service, not who was paid. A list of payments is the most useful single record for spotting repeat suppliers, purchases split into smaller pieces and payments to businesses linked to council or staff.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: A list of all payments made by the City of Belleville from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025, showing for each payment the date, the name of the payee, the amount, and the description or account it was charged to (for example, the cheque register, EFT register or accounts payable listing). An electronic copy, such as a spreadsheet, is preferred.

  Copy the wording

• What the $22,000,000 loan is for

  The minutes name the projects only as “Schedule A” to the borrowing by-laws. The schedule and the repayment plan show what the loan pays for and what it will cost taxpayers. Related question: What is the $22 million loan council approved in November 2025 for, and how will it be paid back?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Copies of By-laws 2025-181 and 2025-182 passed on November 24, 2025 with their Schedule “A”, the staff report or reports that recommended them, and the schedule of yearly payments (principal and interest) for each of the two loans, showing which are paid from taxes and which from water, sewer or other fees.

  Copy the wording

• What the City has given Habitat for Humanity for 93 Dundas Street East

  The land transfer, the building permit fee waiver and the $1,118,000 line in the 2025 budget are in different documents. Together they show the City’s total help. Related question: What is the total the City has given Habitat for Humanity for the 93 Dundas Street East project: land, fee waivers and money?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: For the property at 93 Dundas Street East: the staff reports to council and the planning committee on the transfer of the property (By-law 2025-103) and the building permit partial fee waiver (council, September 8, 2025, item 8.a.3); the agreement or agreements with Habitat for Humanity Prince Edward Hastings; the appraised or assessed value of the land; the amount of fees waived; and the payments made to Habitat for Humanity from the 2025 budget line (account 1-8-2900925-2506), with the date and the funding source.

  Copy the wording

• The Bridge health and social services hub

  Council added $2,000,000 to the 2024 budget for the hub. The agreements and payments show what the City receives and whether more is expected. Related question: Why did council add $2,000,000 for The Bridge health and social services hub to the 2024 budget, and what has the City received for it?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: For the City’s $3,000,000 contribution to “The Bridge” Health & Social Service Hub (2024 operating budget issues D2-13 and D8-3): the staff reports to council about it, the funding or contribution agreement, the dates and amounts of payments, and any reports from the recipient to the City on how the money was used.

  Copy the wording

• What is in the cost of council and its offices

  The Province’s governance line for Belleville ($1,965,702 in 2024) is about three times the Council department in the City’s budget ($637,194). The ledger shows what is in it.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: For each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024: the list of departments and general ledger accounts that the City reported on Schedule 40, line 0240 (governance) of the Financial Information Return, with the amount for each account, and the working papers that map the City’s departments to the Schedule 40 lines.

  Copy the wording

The wording is a starting point, not legal advice. Narrow the dates if the city says a request is too broad or too costly.

1. Speak to council

   Anyone can ask to appear before council or a committee. The City’s page explains how to request it.

2. Ask for the records

   Anyone can ask the City for its records under freedom-of-information law, for a $5 fee. The wording for useful requests is above.

3. Integrity Commissioner and Closed Meeting Investigator

   An outside lawyer who looks into complaints that a council member broke the Code of Conduct or the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, and into whether a meeting was closed when it should have been open. The City’s page names David G. Boghosian, and council passed a by-law (2026-056) appointing him on April 27, 2026. Complaints go to the City Clerk on the City’s form, with a fee. The City says it will put any investigation report on a public council agenda.

4. Declaration of Interest Registry

   The City’s public list of money interests that council members declared, with what each one was about. It is on the City’s website.

5. Ontario Ombudsman

   Looks into complaints about how Ontario municipalities run their affairs, once local options are used up. Free.