Town staff in Renfrew can take a moment to breathe as the final touches on their annual budget have gone through.
The 2026 municipal budget has been adopted following a month-long amendment period that wrapped up on February 12th, with Mayor Tom Sidney noting that the budget committee found enough cuts to drop the expected tax levy increase from just under 14% to 7.73% before ratification.
Sidney says council and staff worked hard to balance fiscal responsibility with the growing costs required to maintain both the town’s ongoing investments into critical infrastructure and the level of community services that residents have come to expect.
Among the major projects highlighted in the budget are a number of community-requested items, such as several road upgrades, including rehabilitation of Munroe and Harry Road, plus pavement condition and underground infrastructure assessments and a new pumper rescue truck for the local fire department.
As part of the budget’s adoption, the town has also announced that a long-term look into their financial strategy is currently underway ahead of the new term of Council starting in October.
(written by Kasey Egan)
