Public Service Announcement
Municipality begins 2025/26 municipal budget process
Friday, Feb. 7, 2025 (Halifax, N.S.) -The Halifax Regional Municipality has begun the 2025/26 municipal budget process with the tabling of a preliminary $1.3 billion operating budget and a $318.8 million 2025/26 Capital Plan.
Every year, Regional Council approves a Budget and Business Plan and a Capital Plan. These documents represent the annual municipal budget, which funds all costs associated with servicing a growing municipality.
This includes day-to-day municipal operations (e.g. transit, police, fire, garbage collection, snow clearing), capital priority initiatives approved by Regional Council (e.g. HalifACT, Cogswell District project, Integrated Mobility Plan) – as well as capital projects and investments to purchase, construct, rehabilitate and replace municipal assets like buildings, roads, active transportation, parks and bridges.
The 2025/26 municipal budget is a transitional budget. It will be the first budget under the recently elected Regional Council and the final budget of the 2021-25 Strategic Priorities Plan. It will reflect the previous Council’s decisions and strategic priorities – balancing the continuity of services while adapting to emerging needs and challenges, including the future priorities to be determined by the current Council in the 2026-30 Strategic Priorities Plan.
The region continues to see rapid population growth, which results in increased demand on municipal services. To accommodate this, the need for new infrastructure is balanced with maintaining existing municipal assets. In addition, the threat of US tariffs on trade, the continued rise of inflation creates a challenging fiscal environment, faced by many jurisdictions.
Over the coming weeks, each business unit will present their 2025/26 budget and business plans. During each meeting, time will be set aside for members of the public to provide insight and comments – both in-person and virtual.
In mid-March, the Budget Committee will review the Budget Adjustment List, or BAL. This includes all additional items that business units have presented beyond their proposed budgets, including add-ons and subtractions.
In April, Regional Council will approve the final version of the 2025/26 Budget and Business Plan and Capital Plan.
