At the January 27, 2026, Council meeting, the 2026 Mayor’s Proposed Tax Levy Budget was deemed adopted, which includes a 2.4% increase to the Operating Levy and a 2.0% increase to the Capital Levy.

A residential home with an average assessed value of $280,000 will see an increase of $77.56 per year, or $6.46 per month. Actual taxes will vary depending on each property’s assessed value.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Niagara Falls homes are assessed at $280,000 or less. In Ontario, property assessments have not been updated since January 1, 2016, meaning 2026 assessments reflect market values from 10 years ago.

The Mayor and Council focused on keeping the budget affordable while maintaining essential services for residents and businesses.

Capital Levy

• $36.77, or 47% of the annual increase, will be invested in roads.
• A $2,038,500 capital budget amendment to the Shave & Pave program will allow the City to repair an additional 4.13 km of roads.

Operating Levy

• $40.79, or 53% of the annual increase, supports City operations, including inflationary adjustments and targeted investments in:
  • Sidewalk repairs to improve safety and accessibility.
  • Storm sewer maintenance to increase CCTV inspections, flushing and catch basin cleanings.
  • Modern software and cybersecurity to protect digital systems and ensure reliable services.

Property Tax Breakdown

• The City collects and distributes taxes for the City, Region and School Boards, but is only responsible for setting the tax rates for the City portion.
• Niagara Falls is responsible for 37% of the total property tax, the Region for 54%, and Education for 9%.
• For example, on a total tax bill of $4,900, the City’s share is $1,813

Comparisons

• Niagara Falls taxes remain the second lowest in the Niagara Region, even while providing a high level of services and amenities.

View the presentation. View the Council Proposed Amendments. View the report. View the Budget.

At the November 25, 2025, City Council Meeting, James Dowling, Deputy Treasurer, presented the 2026 Mayor's Proposed Capital Budget. The themes of the 2026 Capital Budget are maintaining existing assets in good repair, investments in growth-enabling infrastructure and leveraging technology to gain efficiency.

There were 12 amendments proposed by Council to the capital budget. Four of the amendments passed with a net financial impact of reducing the total budget by $25,000.

The 2026 City of Niagara Falls Mayor's Proposed Capital Budget, as amended, totalling $78,468,531, was deemed adopted at the Special Council meeting on November 25, 2025, and includes the City’s largest commitment of road program spending to date.

Asset Management continues to be the key focus of the Capital Budget, as the City needs a solid foundation to grow successfully. The budget also focused on growth-enabling investments and strategic investments.

This term of Council has invested over $286 million cumulatively through the 2023 to 2026 capital budgets. More than half of that investment ($165M) has been focused on asset management, with the remaining focused on balancing growth needs, implementing pilots and new technology, investing in infrastructure improvements and other service improvements.

View some of the Capital Budget highlights below.

View the report. View the Budget Book. View the presentation.

At the November 25, 2025, City Council Meeting, Tiffany Clark, Director of Finance, presented a report to help explain more significant budget-to-budget variances between the proposed 2026 Parking Budget and the approved 2025 Parking Budget.

The 2026 parking budget continues to be self-sustaining, funded by parking user fees, permits and fine revenues and contains expenses and revenue, each totalling $1,655,925, which is an increase of $3,132 or 0.2% as compared to 2025 ($1,652,793).

A highlight of the Parking Budget includes:

• An increase of $15,000 for the Transfer to Capital Special Purpose Reserves (CSPR), specifically the Parking unallocated CSPR, from $50,000 to $65,000, to assist in meeting the annual Asset Management Funding Target for Parking ($200,000 per year recommended).

The Mayor's Proposed 2026 Parking Budget, with gross expenses totalling $1,655,925, was deemed adopted at the Special Council Meeting on November 25, 2025.

View the report and budget. View the presentation.

Council adopted the 2026 Mayor's Proposed Water and Wastewater Budgets and approved the use of reserve funding, as presented by Tiffany Clark, Director of Finance. Two new staffing requests were also approved. The budgets and associated rates will take effect on January 1, 2026.

The presentation included details of:

• Two-Tiered Service Delivery Model (City/Region)
• Summary of Water, Wastewater & Combined Budgets
• Water Budget: Details & Rebate Programs
• Wastewater Budget: Details & Rebate Programs
• Proposed Rates & Impact to Users

View the report. View the presentation.