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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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.
Questions · 7 so far
Things worth asking about
We read Belleville's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 11 similar Ontario places. These are the things that stood out.
What these are, and what they are not. A question here means a number or practice is unusual, or harder to see than it should be. It does not mean anyone did anything wrong. Most unusual numbers turn out to have ordinary explanations, and every question lists some. The only way to know is to ask.
Worth asking
Worth asking
There may well be a good reason. It is still worth asking what it is.
$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
$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.
Why it matters
Loan payments are fixed and last as long as the loan, here until 2050 and 2035. Whether they come from taxes or from fees depends on the project. Residents can only judge the loan if they can see what it paid for and how much of the yearly budget it uses. The City also holds large savings, so the choice to borrow rather than pay from savings is worth explaining.
It could be because…
Borrowing is a normal way to pay for long-lasting buildings and roads, so that today’s and tomorrow’s users share the cost.
The loan may have been planned for years in the capital budget and 10-year capital plan, and Schedule A may list well-known projects.
The City’s net financial assets rose in 2025, so it may be able to carry the loan comfortably.
Part of the debt is paid by water and sewer fees, and that part shrank.
Questions you could ask
Which capital works are listed in Schedule A of by-laws 2025-181 and 2025-182, and where were they approved in the capital budget?
How much of the yearly tax levy will go to payments on this loan, and how does that compare with the payments on loans that are ending?
Why borrow $22,000,000 for 25 years when the City held $215,876,004 of investments at the end of 2025?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Belleville?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Council meeting of November 24, 2025, by-laws: “2025-181: A By-law to Authorize the Borrowing upon Amortizing Debentures in the Principal Amount of $1,100,000.00 towards the Cost of a Certain Capital Work Described in Schedule “A”” and “2025-182: A By-law to Authorize the Borrowing upon Amortizing Debentures in the Aggregate Principal Amount of $22,000,000.00 towards the Cost of Certain Capital Works Described in Schedule “A””.
Municipal debt at December 31, 2025: $128,771,605 (2024: $113,417,273). New loans listed: a debenture at 4.53%, monthly payment $122,659, maturing Dec-50, balance $22,000,000; and one at 3.64%, monthly payment $10,950, maturing Dec-35, balance $1,100,000. Tax supported debt $115,852,677 (2024: $99,313,153); user fee supported debt $12,918,928 (2024: $14,104,120).
On the other side of the books, net financial assets were $40,552,026 at the end of 2025 (2024: $23,447,824), portfolio investments $215,876,004 and cash $44,180,199.
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%.
Why did Belleville's property tax go up 10% in 2024?
$0$50M$100M$150M
$130M
201920202021202220232024
Show as a table
Year
City property tax
2019
$103M
2020
$105M
2021
$110M
2022
$109M
2023
$118M
2024
$130M
Why it matters
A big one-year jump usually means something changed: a new cost, a service that grew, savings being rebuilt, or a problem from earlier years being paid for now. Residents should be able to see exactly which. Spread across every home, it is about $526 more each year.
It could be because…
Costs the city cannot control went up, such as policing, insurance or county charges.
The city kept taxes too low in earlier years and is catching up.
The city is rebuilding savings or paying for a big project like a bridge or equipment.
Questions you could ask
The 2024 budget raised the tax supported budget 7.22%, and the audited municipal taxation rose about 10.6%. How much of the difference is new homes and businesses, supplementary taxes, and changes between tax classes?
Why was actual taxation $2,892,474 above the 2024 budget, and where did the extra money go?
What were the three biggest reasons for the 2024 increase, in dollars, in plain terms?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Belleville?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
City property tax: $118,094,877 in 2023, $130,484,057 in 2024.
Council’s amended 2024 budget raised the tax supported budget from $117,879,600 (2023) to $126,393,800 (2024), up 7.22%. The pieces the budget lists: contractual service agreements $3,022,100; capital financing $1,219,200; police, a 10.87% increase to $26,131,100 (net $2,562,500); an asset management contribution of $600,000; and the council amendment of $2,000,000 for The Bridge hub, of which $1,178,800 was from the tax levy.
The audited statements show municipal taxation of $127,593,774 in 2024, up from $115,376,340 in 2023. The 2024 budget for municipal taxation was $124,701,300, so the amount collected came in above the budget (by roughly three million dollars, our subtraction).
Residential assessment (the value of homes on the tax roll) rose from $4,421,503,650 in 2023 to $4,474,392,350 in 2024, about 1.2%, while the residential tax rate rose from 0.00982485 to 0.01024902, about 4.3%. These two changes together are well below the 10.5% rise in the city’s tax, so other tax classes, new buildings added during the year or extra (supplementary) taxes may also play a part. We could not tell how much.
Later years: the 2026 budget Council approved on February 25, 2026 raises the municipal part of the tax on a $250,000 urban home from $4,446.99 to $4,693.28 (up $246.29, 5.54%). Council’s guideline was an increase of “under 5%” excluding the Fire Master Plan phase-in.
$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.
Why it matters
A late change by council added a share of one year’s tax increase for an outside project. The budget explains where the money came from. It does not say what the City will own or receive in return, or whether the project is finished.
It could be because…
Health and social service hubs serve people the City, the county and the province all care about, and a one-time grant may be cheaper than running one.
Most of the money came from a savings account, not from taxes, so only $1,178,800 reached the tax bill.
The City may have received agreements and reports on the project that it did not put in the budget document.
Questions you could ask
Who owns the hub building, and does the City get any ownership, repayment or services in return for the $3,000,000?
Was the full $3,000,000 paid in 2024, and has the City been asked for more since?
Where did council debate the amendment, and did it receive a report on the project first?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Belleville?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Issue D2-13: “The City currently has pre-approval to provide $1,000,000 to fund the necessary renovations for “The Bridge” Health & Social Service Hub. Funding provided from the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund in 2024.”
Issue D8-3, a council amendment: “Amendment to Operating Issue D2-13 to include an additional $2,000,000 to fund the Bridge Health & Social Services Hub for a total contribution of $3,000,000. Funding provided by the tax levy for an additional $1,178,800 plus $821,200 from the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund.”
The running total of the budget rose from $125,215,000 to $126,393,800 with this amendment, taking the total increase over the 2023 tax supported budget of $117,879,600 to 7.22%.
$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.
Why it matters
Housing is a real need, and giving land and fees to a non-profit is a choice councils are allowed to make. When help comes in several forms across many meetings, residents can only judge the total if someone adds it up.
It could be because…
The money may be paid from a housing fund or a federal grant and not from property tax. The budget line does not say which.
The land and fee waivers are a normal way for cities to support affordable housing.
Staff reports on each step may already show the value. We read only the minutes and the budget.
Questions you could ask
What is the value of the land transferred under By-law 2025-103, the building permit fees waived, and the grant, added together?
Is the $1,118,000 paid from taxes, a reserve or a housing grant, and was it all paid in 2025?
How many homes will the project add, and who will own the land afterward?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Belleville?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The Administration department’s grants and donations list has a line “Habitat for Humanity”, with no amount in 2022 to 2024, and $1,118,000 in the 2025 budget. The department’s total for grants and donations rises to $2,727,900 in 2025 from $1,879,300 in the 2024 budget.
May 26, 2025: “Councillor Brown disclosed a pecuniary interest with respect to Item 10.3 By-law Number 2025-103, A By-law to Authorize the Transfer of the property located at 93 Dundas Street East, as she is a board member with Habitat for Humanity Prince Edward Hastings. Councillor Brown did not participate in the discussion or vote on the matter.”
September 8, 2025: Councillor Brown disclosed a pecuniary interest in item 8.a.3, “Building Permit Partial Fee Waiver for 93 Dundas Street East (Habitat for Humanity Prince Edward-Hastings)”, left the chambers and did not take part in the discussion or the vote.
June 22, 2026: item 6.1, a delegation from the organization’s chief executive on “93 Dundas Street East Update”; Councillor Brown again declared an interest as a member of the Board of Directors and left the chambers.
The City’s registry lists Councillor Brown’s declarations for the 93 Dundas Street East items at the Planning Advisory Committee (April 7, May 5, May 12, 2025) and at council on May 26, 2025, each with the general nature: “On Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity Prince Edward Hastings”.
$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.
Why it matters
A budget is the promise to the public of what will be done in a year. A large gap between budget and actual is not wrong by itself, but residents should be able to see whether projects are late, cancelled, or just paid in a later year.
It could be because…
Housing Accelerator Fund and similar projects are paid by the federal government over several years, so the budget may be spread over more than one year.
The statements’ budget figures were reclassified into the statement format and, as the audit note says, are not directly comparable with actual amounts.
A surplus can be set aside in reserves for the next year’s projects.
Questions you could ask
How much of the unspent $7,405,599 in planning and development and of the unspent federal grants is for projects that will be done later, and which projects are they?
How much of the $12,440,025 operating surplus has been set aside, and in which reserves?
Will the City publish a plain table each year of budget against actual by service that explains differences of more than $1,000,000?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Belleville?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Statement of operations, 2025: planning and development, budget $12,798,000, actual $5,392,401 (2024 actual $4,945,773). The note on budget figures says they are “not directly comparable with the current year actual amounts”.
Annual operating surplus 2025: budget $3,715,600, actual $12,440,025 (2024: $12,083,252). Grants – Government of Canada related to capital: budget $21,066,300, actual $1,716,460 (2024: $6,783,871). Annual surplus $27,245,330 against a budget of $37,705,800.
The 2024 budget changes list “EDS - HAF Initiative #5: Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)” at $3,200,000 expenditure with $3,200,000 of non-tax revenue, so $0 net to the tax levy; other HAF initiatives are listed the same way ($100,000, $100,000, $125,000 and $800,000).
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.
Why it matters
A closed meeting is allowed, but the public should still learn the result when it is safe to say. With a closed session at most meetings, a large part of the City’s business, including land and employment matters, is hidden until, and unless, it comes back in a later report or by-law.
It could be because…
A city with 55,000 people has many land, labour and legal matters that truly must stay private.
Land and contract decisions usually become public later as a by-law or a report once a deal is done.
Closed sessions may be short: on June 8, 2026 the open part lasted a few minutes before the closed session began.
Questions you could ask
Will council report back in public, in general terms, after a closed session, for example when a land sale closes?
Of the last year’s closed-session items, which decisions have since been made public, and where?
Has anyone asked the closed meeting investigator to look at a meeting, and was a report put on an agenda?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Belleville?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
June 8, 2026: “City Council met in a very brief Open Session” at 3:00 p.m. and moved to “enter into In Camera (Closed Session) to consider the following items, pursuant to Section 239 of the Municipal Act”. The items included a review of the May 25, 2026 closed minutes, two reports about “a position, plan, procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiations” and a report about information supplied in confidence by a government, among others. Open session began at 4:00 p.m.
Among what the City’s page says it will do: “Place any investigation report on a public council agenda” and “Consider the report in an open session of council”. Council’s Integrity Commissioner is also its closed meeting investigator; the page says the process applies to boards, committees and subcommittees, with the Police Services Board and Public Library Board excepted.
The Ontario Ombudsman: “Although there is no requirement under the Municipal Act, 2001 for municipal councils to report back in public after the conclusion of a closed meeting, the Ombudsman recommends this practice to increase transparency of the closed meeting process.”
Belleville spent about $84 per home on council in 2024. The typical similar city spent $60. None of the 11 similar places spent more.
Why it matters
Spending more than neighbours is not wrong by itself. It might buy better service. But it is the first place to look for costs that could be lower, such as contracts that were not competitively bid.
It could be because…
Geography: more roads, more snow, a bigger area or a landfill of its own.
Accounting: some places record the same cost in a different category.
A one-time cost in this year.
Questions you could ask
Which departments or accounts are reported on the Province’s governance line (Schedule 40, line 0240) for Belleville, and do other places report the clerk’s office there?
What is the cost of the Council department only, per home, compared with the same cost in similar cities?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Belleville?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Council per home: Belleville $84; typical similar city $60; ranked 1st highest of 12.
The Province’s “governance” line (Schedule 40, line 0240) for Belleville was $1,754,014 in 2019 and $1,965,702 in 2024. In 2019, $1,497,290 of it was salaries. A mayor and eight councillors do not account for salaries of that size, so the line appears to include more than council.
The City’s own budget shows the Council department at $573,325 (2022 actual), $652,631 (2023) and $637,194 (2024), with $710,100 budgeted for 2025. Staffing, meaning council members’ pay and benefits, was $542,674 in 2024. A separate City Clerk department, net of its revenue, cost $797,688 in 2024. We could not tell from the documents which departments make up the Province’s line.
The treasurer’s 2025 report under the Municipal Act, section 284, shows the full cost of council and board pay, benefits, pensions and expenses at $626,360.34. The Mayor’s council pay was $116,349.92 and each full-year councillor’s $40,877.55.
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