Cobourg budget document for 2026 released

By Cecilia Nasmith

Proposed changes to the town contained in Mayor Lucas Cleveland's 2026 budget could have both immediate and far-reaching effects that will be felt by many.

The details were contained in a document released Friday at 4:17 p.m., the report from the Community Led Budget Task Force that outlines 42 recommendations for keeping the 2026 tax increase to 5%. Thanks to Strong Mayor Powers that give a mayor total discretion over how to set a municipal budget, Cleveland opted for this approach, with a committee structure by consultant David Dexter (task force members were Anthony Dew, Peter Dounoukos, Dick Kauling, Susan MacDonald, Chrystalla Manna, Mark Mills, Esther Schroeder, Susan Stoltenberg, Ken Strauss and Al Switzer).

Their report calls for both immediate and long-term changes.

There is a recommendation that the Centennial Pool be closed “and the land be repurposed for greater community benefit ensuring the land remain publicly owned and dedicated to community use.”

There is a call for the town to repurpose the trailer park and campground lands, “ensuring the lands remain public owned and dedicated to community use.”

The skateboard park rehabilitation project and the pickleball courts project will be closed, with town-committed funding returned to source. Looking ahead, shared funding projects with special interest groups will require a minimum of 75% funding commitment by the group, with a two-year limit for finding outside funding to come forward.

With 140 open capital projects, worth well over $100-million, the recommendation is that all be re-evaluated for need, “and those projects no longer required be closed and funding returned to source.”

Under this heading, it is recommended that “the New Police Station capital project accounts be closed.”

With a call to develop a multi-year plan for annual increases to parks and recreation fees, there is also a recommendation that these fees (as well as Victoria Hall Concert Hall charges) should be doubled for non-Cobourg residents, effective in 2026, “with the exception of maintaining existing charge rates for local not-for-profit user groups.”

A comprehensive revenue strategy for non-resident beach use would focus on charging visitors in ways that would not inconvenience Cobourg residents. More parking space should be added, it said, but “rates for both the daily beach front parking pass, as well as the 30/60/90 day permits, be increased significantly for non-residents.”

There is also a recommendation to develop a multi-year plan for annual increases to development-planning and engineering-review fees.

Outsourcing enters the picture, with recommendations to outsource some core infrastructure-maintenance funds (“where efficiencies and savings can be realized”).

There is a recommendation to outsource the management and operations of some major facilities, the list consisting of the Cobourg Community Centre (including the ice surfaces), Cobourg Marina, Victoria Hall Concert Hall and the Venture 13 building.

Another recommendation is that development-planning “be outsourced for the required review process, in order to recognize faster turnaround times. And the cost for the outsourced reviews be fully funded by the development applicant.”

Concerned with a request from the Cobourg Police service for a 20.5% budget increase (which Chief Paul VandeGraaf insisted was necessary due to non-negotiable requirements of both new and previous legislation), one recommendation is to explore “more affordable alternatives for Police Services, including amalgamated services with Port Hope, a West Northumberland Force, and contracting Ontario Provincial Police.”

And with recent budget wrangles with the police and the Cobourg Public Library, there is a call for their administrative functions to be centralized under the town.

The potential possibility of selling town assets will be explored, such facilities to include Lakefront Utilities, the Memorial Arena, the Jack Heenan Arena and surplus owned lands, with any proceeds “allocated to a principal-protected fund, with only the interest earned to be used for asset lifecycle projects.”

Looking ahead, the document calls for the next mayor to approach the province “to explore municipal realignment for Northumberland County, in order to provide greater community benefit to Cobourg residents for the exceedingly high and inequitable tax burden.”

As well, it is decreed that future tax increases be kept to a maximum level of the annual CPI rate plus 1%, inclusive of any increase to the infrastruture levy.

The full report is available to the public on the Town’s website at

www.Cobourg.ca/StrongMayorPowers under the Community Led Task Force tab.