Belleville City Council went through each line item of the 2026 Capital Budget in a special council meeting Tuesday morning.
The capital spending plan totals $55.5 million, a slight increase over last year’s $53.6 million budget.
Core infrastructure (roads, bridges, water, and wastewater) was the primary focus in the budget, representing around 67% of expenditures.
Major projects in the budget include more work on Bridge Street East valued at $5 million and an extension to the North Riverfront Trail at $6.3 million.
Discussing Bridge Street East, Councillor Garnet Thompson put forward an amendment to increase the funding of the project to $5.35 million.
This would have been to allow for the creation of traffic lights at the intersection of Bridge Street East and Farley Avenue.
That amendment was defeated, with Councillor Kathryn Brown noting that that intersection did not meet signal warrants.
“The warrants become the decision maker in how we move forward when it comes to transportation matters,” Councillor Brown said.
“So I am not prepared to support something at this stage that does not meet signal warrants for that part of the city.”
At the special meeting, council also received a presentation from Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd and Police Services Board Chair Heather Smith on their 2026 police budget.
During that presentation, there was discussion about the acquisition of a “community rescue vehicle” also known as an armoured vehicle.
It was mentioned that the community raised $107,000 towards the purchase of the vehicle, with the Belleville Police Service requesting $100,000 to complete the purchase.
Councillor Paul Carr expressed some concern about the CRV, specifically feedback he’s received from residents.
Councillor Barb Enright-Miller, who sits on the Belleville Police Services Board, spoke about the need for the CRV.
“I think that now is the time to add this to the fleet, especially when there’s other funding resources that are going to help to provide it,” Councillor Enright-Miller said.
“I am cognizant of taxpayers’ dollars but if this saves some lives for us down the road, I think it would be money well spent.”
Another amendment that was brought forward was to allocate $175,000 for a playground at the Heritage Park subdivision.
Money would come from the Asset Management Reserve Fund.
The amendment was approved in a unanimous recorded vote.
As part of the proceedings, Belleville’s 10-year capital plan was approved.
A look at the line items of the 2026 Capital Budget can be found at the City of Belleville’s website.
