Municipal Budget

The 2026 budget funded by municipal taxes requires a rate increase of 2.7 per cent on the total tax bill. This increase will result in a typical homeowner paying an additional $139 annually, or $12 monthly, per $272,000 of assessed home value. Please note that this increase represents the estimated local municipal portion of your tax bill and is subject to change based on impact from Northumberland County and the education boards.

Municipal infrastructure - like roads, bridges, water systems, and community facilities - provides the essential services we rely on every day. These services support the health, safety, and quality of life of our community, while also driving economic growth and protecting our environment.

Asset management is the process of making sure this infrastructure continues to meet community needs in a reliable and cost-effective way. It involves regularly reviewing the condition of our assets, updating data, and planning ahead so we can manage repairs, replacements, and investments wisely. By taking a long-term approach, we ensure that today’s decisions support both current and future generations.

To do this, the Municipality has developed an Asset Management Plan (AMP). This AMP identifies the current practices and strategies that are in place to manage public infrastructure and makes recommendations where they can be further refined. Through the implementation of sound asset management strategies, the Municipality of Port Hope can ensure that public infrastructure is managed to support the sustainable delivery of municipal services.

When you pay your property taxes, you’re not just covering today’s services—you’re also investing in the future of our community. A funded Asset Management Plan ensures that our infrastructure (roads, bridges, water systems, and more) can be properly maintained and replaced when needed. Without adequate funding, we risk falling behind and facing larger, more costly problems down the road.

Communities that underfund their infrastructure—like what we’ve seen happen elsewhere—face sudden, expensive repairs and service disruptions. Port Hope is working to avoid this situation by planning responsibly now.

The 2026 budget includes $888,884 as a contribution to the infrastructure funding shortfall. The current term of Council has reduced the infrastructure funding shortfall by 13.8 per cent since 2022 and has nearly caught up to inflation increases since 2017.

For example, according to MPAC's assessments, in 2025:

• 7 homes in Port Hope are assessed over $1M.

• 2554 homes are assessed at $200k, and

• 1302 homes are assessed at $300k.

So, according to MPAC's assessment, the median (middle) value of a typical single detached residential home in Port Hope is $269,000. That is the number used to illustrate the typical tax increase. Some properties are assessed more than this amount, and some are assessed at less than this amount. You can find out what your property is assessed at on your tax bill.