The City of Greater Sudbury’s tentative 2026 tax levy increase now sits at approximately 5.2 per cent, which is a half-percentage drop from its initial 5.7 per cent.
That said, the municipal budget remains very much a fluid thing, with city council slated to debate both the 2026 and 2027 budgets during a series of meetings beginning Dec. 2.
The half-percentage drop comes as a result of Friday’s emergency meeting of the Greater Sudbury Police Service board, at which members unanimously voted to bring the budget down by more than $2 million, mainly a result of cancelling planned reserve fund contributions toward new police headquarters, which there’s no proposed timeline to build.
Initially approved at a 12.66-per-cent hike, the Greater Sudbury Police Service’s 2026 budget increase now stands at 10.21 per cent.
This updated budget was presented to city council during Wednesday night’s finance and administration committee meeting of city council.
There were no decision points made during the meeting, with council’s final yea or nay anticipated during next month’s budget deliberations.
After hearing budget presentations on behalf of Greater Sudbury Police Service, Conservation Sudbury and the Greater Sudbury Public Library system on Wednesday, city council members also declined to give any of the organizations budgetary directions.
Despite a lack of decision point or direction provided by city council members, between the meeting’s tone and provincial legislation which regulates police budgets, its approval next month appears to be a foregone conclusion.
Prefacing his comments with, “When this goes through,” Ward 5 Coun. Mike Parent said that when city council approves another “high increase” for the police, people are going to phone their ward councillors.
“What do we tell them that they’re getting for what we see as a $16.5-million increase in police costs over two years,” Parent asked, referencing the total requested police budget increase between the 2026-27 budget years.
“Help me understand, what do I share with them that they’re going to be receiving as a service with these increases.”
After describing Parent’s inquiry as a “loaded question," GSPS Chief Sara Cunningham said, “They’re getting, when they call the police, we’re coming.”
Reiterating prior remarks about policing being complex work, she said, “The community has to know that when they call, we’ll come, and that’s what they’ll get.”
“Not only will they come, but they come well-trained, they come well-equipped, and they’re very accountable,” police board Chair Gerry Lougheed added, commending the local police service as both progressive and consistent in their approach to policing.
When it comes to recent years’ budget hikes, which has included the hiring of 30 additional police officers since 2022, Ward 9 councillor and meeting chair Deb McIntosh also noted that the city has exploded in population, with the latest count of approximately 192,000 a significant jump from the 2021 census count of 166,004.
“That means more people to deal with,” McIntosh said. “That’s a huge increase over the last number of years, and, of course, the quest for service will grow because we have more people, so that’s also part of the answer that we can give to our constituents."
When it comes to police budgets, city council members ultimately have little say in what ends up approved. That is, aside from the two of five police board members who also sit on city council (Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer and Mayor Paul Lefebvre).
“Where the city does not accept (a police budget), the city and the board may jointly apply to appoint a conciliation officer to attempt to resolve the matter or the board may give the city written notice referring the matter to arbitration,” a report by city Finance director Margaret Karpenko noted. “The result of the conciliation or the arbitrator’s decision is final.”
Shortly after the police board unanimously approved a 12.66–per-cent 2026 budget hike last month, McIntosh tabled a successful motion for staff to request the report Karpenko shared on Wednesday, which highlights council’s role in approving service partners’ budgets
During Wednesday’s meeting, Karpenko expanded on her report, noting that when it comes to service partners, city council has the most discretion with the library budget – a point which made Greater Sudbury Public Library CEO Brian Harding raise his eyebrows and chuckle from the gallery.
“All other service partners have very limited discussion as the legislation allows them to provide the city with the total costs and revenues of providing their services and we are obliged to collect those levies on their behalf as part of the annual tax rate,” Karpenko said.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Harding delivered a budget which includes a requested $491,555 municipal grant increase for libraries in 2026, which brings their total 2026 operating expenditure to $11,177,428.
Conservation Sudbury general manager Carl Jorgensen tabled his organization’s budget on Wednesday, notching an increased ask of $67,665 to bring their budget up to $2,431,433.
“It’s really just a maintenance budget,” Jorgensen told city council members, echoing a prior sentiment shared by Harding regarding municipal libraries.
With Greater Sudbury Police Service making up the lion’s share of service partner municipal funding requests, they got the bulk of the time at the microphone during Wednesday’s meeting.
Greater Sudbury Police Service’s 10.21-per-cent budget hike for 2026 represents an increase of $8,520,877, which brings it to $92,015,162. Following an additional 8.68-per-cent increase in 2027, the police budget will surpass $100 million.
It could have been even higher, Cunningham told city council members, noting that it initially sat at 16 per cent before staff and the board began whittling it down.
As it stands, she said, “We are nervous that we did not allocate enough funds for our training budget.”
Between the 2026-27 budget years, GSPS is adding six newly funded positions to their ranks. While the number of sworn members will remain at 308, the number of “police professionals” will grow by six to 154 by 2027.
Next up for 2026-27 budget deliberations will be a Nov. 25 finance and administration committee meeting of city council, at which Public Health Sudbury and Districts will present their budget.
For the city’s collection of 2026-27 budget documents, click here.
The Dec. 2 finance and administration committee meeting at which city council members will begin debating the 2026-27 municipal budget will begin at 9:30 a.m. It can be viewed in-person at the Lionel E. Lalonde Centre in Azilda or livestreamed by clicking here.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.