Budget at a glance
The working operating scenario begins with the City’s printed 2026 amount raised from existing residents. It keeps the operating levy visible separately from capital funding and other municipal revenue.
| Measure | Working scenario |
|---|---|
| 2026 existing-resident levy reference | $38,133,221 |
| Working 2027 operating levy | $37,881,851 |
| Difference | $251,370 lower |
| Change from the 2026 reference | 0.66% below |
The four figures above describe the operating scenario. Capital funding is shown separately below because projects use a mix of tax levy, water rates, wastewater rates, reserves, grants, donations, development charges and debt.
How the plan is funded
The working scenario funds several practical first-year improvements while lowering the operating levy reference by matching each commitment with the right funding source.
| Funding route | How it works in the working scenario |
|---|---|
| Targeted savings and lower-cost delivery | Software-maintenance review, lower-cost resident participation channels and the open-source transition allowance reduce or redesign recurring costs while keeping service goals visible. |
| Costed municipal improvements | Local Representation, Golden Broom awards and shared cleanup equipment appear as explicit first-year budget lines, so residents can see their cost and purpose. |
| Dedicated planning revenue | The central vacant-home-tax planning estimate is assigned to the civilian crisis-response pilot, the OSHaRE mobile-meal pilot and other housing or safety priorities. Council rules and actual collections will determine the amount available. |
| Rate-funded work | Year Zero wastewater screening is funded through wastewater rates, keeping its planning allowance separate from the property-tax levy. |
| Existing authority, capacity and partners | Transparency, public decision tracking and County-level housing planning use existing authority and staff capacity, while partnerships carry work suited to shared delivery. These commitments remain visible as coordinated work alongside the levy lines. |
The result is a lower working operating levy alongside clearly priced first-year services. Capital projects, water and wastewater rates, reserves, grants, donations, debt and conditional programme decisions remain visible in their own funding categories.
In practical terms: reduce avoidable recurring costs, use revenue for the purpose that generates it, fund rate-supported work from rates, use existing capacity where it is sufficient, and place conditional commitments behind published decision gates. This is how the scenario creates room for useful services while reducing levy pressure.
A fair wage rule
City employees deserve fair pay, and residents deserve compensation policies that reflect the incomes and costs of the households financing municipal services.
- Binding collective agreements, arbitration awards and other legal obligations remain honoured.
- Eligible non-union positions at or above the current published Grey-Bruce living-wage benchmark receive no automatic cost-of-living increase in the working scenario.
- Eligible positions below the living-wage benchmark may receive increases until they reach and track the living-wage floor.
- When the published living wage rises, the wage floor rises with it.
This policy connects public compensation with resident incomes, protects lower-paid employees and reduces widening disparity between public compensation and the households financing it. In practical terms, eligible positions already above the living-wage floor remain flat in the working scenario while eligible positions below the floor can rise toward it. This directs compensation growth toward lower-paid employees and helps prevent public-sector pay from moving further away from the incomes that finance municipal services.
The expanded priced screen estimates approximately $146,255 in avoided comparison growth for 42 currently priced eligible non-union positions, using a range of $144,005–$148,505. Thirty additional non-frontline charted seats remain unresolved and unpriced. The estimate represents avoided growth against a three-percent comparison benchmark; it becomes a verified budget result only after position coverage, employer costs and actual compensation changes are confirmed.
The City has three identified bargaining units, alongside eligible non-union positions. The working scenario assumes a successful December 31 CUPE 1189-00 successor agreement with no general 2027 increase. CUPE 1189-01, Fire Local 531, arbitration awards and other binding obligations remain separate contractual budget items until their terms are available.
Where the operating result comes from
The working result combines specific line changes with a transition allowance. Recurring operating changes, one-time operating adjustments and capital changes remain clearly separated.
| Working change | Amount | How it is treated |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainable Community Initiatives pause for review | -$22,500 | Operating line paused while statutory administration and resident results are reviewed. |
| Resident-survey replacement using lower-cost participation channels | -$25,000 | Line-specific change that uses accessible public participation channels first. |
| Software reorganisation and maintenance reduction | -$174,189 | Planned recurring operating reduction based on a 25% reduction to the $696,756 maintenance line through consolidation, open-source replacements and removal of unused licensing. |
| Golden Broom awards and city-wide cleanup equipment | +$2,218 | First-year cleanliness and participation improvement, using the midpoint of the $1,945–$2,490 planning range. |
| 70-area Local Representation baseline | +$52,605 | Recurring baseline for 70 Local Representatives, neighbourhood gatherings, communications and representative hours. |
| Central vacant-home-tax net planning estimate | -$144,504 | Conditional planning revenue after the administration allowance; Council would establish the rules and actual collections. |
| Civilian crisis-response pilot | +$60,000 | Planned use of the central vacant-home-tax estimate for a measured 12-week pilot. |
| OSHaRE mobile meal pilot | +$25,000 | Planned use of the estimated vacant-home-tax remainder for a leased van and route operation. |
| Other housing or safety priorities | ~$59,504 | Estimated remainder after the crisis-response and mobile-meal allocations. |
| Year Zero wastewater screening | +$5,000 wastewater rates | Working midpoint of the $3,000–$6,000 screening range; wastewater-rate funded and separate from the property-tax levy. |
| Open-source transition and rework allowance | $120,000 reserved | Separately tracked implementation allocation for migration, configuration, training and data work that enables the software reorganisation. |
| HRIS capital reduction after the transition allowance | -$128,000 | Separate capital change: the $120,000 transition allowance replaces the planned $248,000 HRIS capital project. |
The Sustainable Community Initiatives pause, resident-survey replacement, software reorganisation and Golden Broom first-year cost produce the working operating result. The software plan contributes a planned $174,189 recurring operating reduction from the $696,756 maintenance line. It also reduces the separate HRIS capital allocation by $128,000 after reserving $120,000 for transition and rework. These amounts belong to different budget categories, so they are reported separately rather than combined into one claimed saving. The transition allowance is tracked separately from the $37,881,851 levy arithmetic. Local Representation is a recurring first-year program line. The vacant-home-tax, crisis-response and mobile-meal rows describe a conditional funding plan, while Year Zero wastewater screening uses wastewater rates.
The scenario keeps the three-percent staff increase as a comparison benchmark. It applies the fair wage rule to eligible non-union positions and carries contractual or arbitration obligations as separate items, with successor terms kept visible for formal budget review.
Police body-camera pilot
2026 Police-services operating block
The current Police-services operating block is approximately $9.5 million. It consists of the following 2026 levy lines:
| Police-services line | 2026 levy requirement |
|---|---|
| Police Services Board | $28,481 |
| Police Officers | $8,367,496 |
| Police Civilians | $824,100 |
| Court Security | $283,482 |
| Police-services operating block | $9,503,559 |
Other police-related costs
The Police Station facility has a separate 2026 levy requirement of $385,404 for building operations, utilities, insurance, maintenance, contracts, reserves and internal allocations. The 2026 debenture schedule separately lists $476,347 in annual debt payments for Police Station Renovation.
| Separate category | 2026 amount |
|---|---|
| Police Station facility levy requirement | $385,404 |
| Police Station Renovation annual debt payment | $476,347 |
| Operating block, facility and named debt payment | Approximately $10.4 million |
These categories remain separate. The approximately $10.4 million total includes the police-services operating block, Police Station facility costs and the named Police Station debt payment. It represents the broader police-related cost picture, with staffing lines kept distinct from facility and debt costs.
Body-camera pilot scope and cost
The Police Services Board can present a costed body-camera pilot within the existing police operating or capital envelope. Each Owen Sound Police Service constable working a shift would receive a body camera. The current December 2025 public organization chart shows 13 named constable seats, so 13 cameras provide a conservative procurement ceiling. This is a planning ceiling, with the final issued count following the Police Services Board’s confirmed shift roster.
The pilot would use cameras exporting ordinary MP4 files through USB, open-source Loom evidence management, local storage and existing staff. It includes no new software licence, training contract or staff position. A municipal by-law application could be considered separately through the City’s by-law budget.
| Pilot item | Planning amount |
|---|---|
| Thirteen cameras and mounts | About $5,500–$6,500 |
| Local encrypted storage and backup | $2,000–$5,000 |
| Dock capacity | Excluded from core estimate |
| Optional spare camera | Excluded from core estimate |
| Open-source software licence | $0 |
| New training contract | $0 |
| New staff position | $0 |
| Core pilot estimate | About $7,500–$11,500 |
The working main City property-tax levy impact is $0. The Police Services Board would show the equipment and storage within the existing police operating or capital envelope, subject to Board approval and final procurement. The core estimate excludes dock capacity and an optional spare camera. Read the detailed body-camera pilot note, the Transcend DrivePro Body 40 manual, and the Loom project.
Vacant-home-tax screen
The refreshed public-data screen tests whether a 1% vacant-home tax could support the platform’s housing and community-safety goals. Its primary housing result is returning long-term vacant homes to use.
| Planning measure | Current screen |
|---|---|
| Planning rate | 1% |
| Gross annual revenue range | $80,280–$401,401 |
| Illustrative net range after 25% administration sensitivity | $60,210–$301,050 |
| Central net planning estimate | $144,504 |
| Civilian crisis-response pilot planning cap | $60,000 |
| OSHaRE mobile meal pilot | $25,000 |
| Estimated remainder for other housing or safety priorities | ~$59,504 |
The central planning estimate supports both the approximately $60,000 civilian crisis-response pilot and the $25,000 OSHaRE mobile meal pilot, leaving approximately $59,504 for other housing or safety priorities. The immediate housing purpose remains returning long-term vacant homes to use. Over time, the crisis-response pilot is intended to show whether suitable civilian responses reduce police attendance, officer-hours, overtime and future staffing pressure. Measured reductions in policing demand are the long-term route to lower policing-cost pressure, with results reported separately from vacant-home-tax revenue.
This revenue remains outside the booked 2027 levy until Council determines qualifying properties, the rate, exemptions, declaration rules, administration costs, audits, appeals, enforcement and the actual net amount available.
Read the vacant-home-tax and crisis-response screen for the assumptions, comparator cases and budget treatment.
Year Zero wastewater screening
The draft includes a first-year wastewater screening allowance to identify possible solvent or volatile-organic-compound discharges before the City considers permanent sewer sensors.
| Planning item | Working treatment |
|---|---|
| Planning range | $3,000–$6,000 |
| Working midpoint | $5,000 |
| Funding source | Wastewater rates, with no property-tax levy impact |
| Initial work | Existing wastewater staff mapping and surface observations, targeted laboratory VOC samples, and short-term calibrated screening-equipment rental or borrowing |
| Permanent sensors | Deferred until repeated evidence supports a published cost and service case |
Read the Year Zero wastewater screening note for the sampling sequence, planning ranges and safety controls.
Capital remains visible
Capital remains a separate review category. The working 2027 operating scenario holds the 2026 tax-supported capital transfer flat at $3.68 million, so the working levy remains about $37.88 million, roughly a quarter-million below the 2026 budget. The City’s 2027–2031 plan lists projects beginning in 2027 with gross project budgets of about $14.2 million, but project totals can span several years. Each project should be reviewed by annual cash flow, funding source, approval status, service value, and future operating cost before it is included in a levy forecast.
| Capital context | Working treatment |
|---|---|
| 2026 tax-supported capital transfer | $3,681,731, held flat |
| 2027–2031 capital plan | Five-year plan with projects beginning in 2027 |
| Projects beginning in 2027 | About $14.2 million in gross project budgets, with totals that can span several years |
Residents can review the capital funding summary and capital project locations. Funding sources remain distinct, including tax levy, water rates, wastewater rates, reserves, grants, donations, development charges and debt.
First-year program coverage
The working scenario identifies which first-year commitments have a budget line, which use existing authority or capacity, and which remain conditional or later-stage decisions.
Costed or budgeted
- Software transition and open-source rework.
- Golden Broom awards and city-wide cleanup equipment.
- Local Representation.
- Vacant-home-tax-funded civilian crisis response.
- OSHaRE mobile meals.
- Year Zero wastewater screening.
- Current wage and bargaining assumptions.
Covered through existing authority or capacity
- Transparency and service reporting.
- Public decision tracking.
- Public Council Forum and written Council sessions.
- The Mayor’s budget preparation and zero-based review.
- Local procurement and import replacement.
- County-level Affordable Rural Communities work.
Conditional or later
- Evening and Sunday transit after published funding and service gates.
- Gallery transition.
- Management restructuring.
- Marriage-coordinator reassignment.
- Shared Stewardship expansion.
- Garbage-service changes.
- Permanent wastewater sensors.
- Additional capital and service expansions.
Transit Phase 0 has a first-year property-tax levy impact of $0. Future evening and Sunday service remains subject to the published funding and service gates.
Conditional items
The working operating result leaves the following possible changes outside the booked total. Each requires a complete service, employment, facility, accessibility, replacement-cost or appointment review before implementation.
| Conditional scenario | Planning amount | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Thomson Art Gallery transition | $459,309 gross levy potential | Conditional on a complete library/shared-use transition plan. |
| Senior-management transition | $58,000–$183,000 base-salary planning range | Conditional on vacancies, succession, reassignment and future appointments. |
The gallery and senior-management scenarios remain outside the $37,881,851 working operating levy. They represent review cases whose financial and service results would be published if a qualifying change proceeds.
What residents can verify
The public record becomes more useful when each figure has a clear status. These terms describe how the working scenario should be read:
| Term | Meaning in this review |
|---|---|
| Budget line | An amount printed in the City budget or a related public financial record. |
| Review candidate | A line, contract, project or service selected for clearer records, alternatives or value-for-money analysis. |
| Comparison benchmark | A reference case used to show scale, such as the three-percent staff increase or a prior levy amount. |
| Planning estimate | A modelled amount or range that depends on stated assumptions and further records. |
| Verified recurring saving | A recurring result recorded after implementation costs, replacement costs, service effects and the ongoing net change have been measured. |
Residents can examine the Verified Savings Ledger, the high-confidence review register and the budget and City operations work to date. These records show the evidence available, the assumptions under review and the information needed to confirm implementation results.
Resident review question: What service does each amount support, what result should residents see, which assumptions require confirmation, and how will the City publish the result after implementation?
Read the source material
The working files publish the figures, assumptions and records behind this scenario. Source PDFs and City records remain the foundation for formal budget decisions.
- 2026 budget tally sheet
- 2026 budget line items
- 2026 debenture annual payments
- Resident-friendly 2027 budget explanation
- Full 2027 draft budget scenario
- Budget data index
- 2027 scenario CSV
- 2027 draft budget adjustments
- OSHaRE mobile meal pilot costing
- Year Zero wastewater screening
- Police body-camera pilot
- Vacant-home-tax and crisis-response screen
- Capital funding summary
- Capital project locations
- Operating expenditure screen
- Capital alternatives
- Software cost breakdown
- Debt analysis
- Verified Savings Ledger
- Union coverage and wage-policy basis
- Collective bargaining calendar