Review process for City’s 2026 budget begins next week

Residents can participate in the process and share budget questions

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed November 10, 2025 10:00 AM

Summary

Preparations are underway for the City of Nanaimo's 2026-2030 Financial Plan with a number of opportunities for residents to review the details of the budget and ask questions during a budget-focused eTown Hall.

Council will begin reviewing draft budgets and project plans over the course of three Special Finance and Audit Committee meetings on Nov. 21, 28 and Dec. 3. All meetings are open to the public and will be held in the Vancouver Island Conference Centre's Shaw Auditorium.

The eTown Hall will take place on Monday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. during the Council Meeting and will run for one hour. If necessary, an additional 30 minutes will be allocated. Residents can participate in the eTown Hall in a number of ways, including:

on the City website at www.nanaimo.ca/etownhall,
on Bluesky, Instagram and X using #NanaimoTH,
in the eTown Hall event found on the City's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cityofnanaimo),
by calling 250-755-4251 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), or
in person during the meeting.

In addition, a form has been added to a Budget Talks advertisement in the Nov. 19 and 26 editions of the Nanaimo News Bulletin, which residents can fill out and drop off to City Hall before 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 28.

The draft financial plan and other related documents will be available to review prior to the meetings at www.nanaimo.ca/goto/budget. Anyone wishing to watch the meetings but cannot attend, can view them on the City website at www.nanaimo.ca/meetings or on Rogers tv Nanaimo channel 4 or 105.

Link to Strategic Plan: Being transparent in the budgeting process and providing opportunities for public input contribute to the strategic priority of Governance Excellence.

Key Points

Three Special Finance and Audit Committee meetings focusing on the 2026 budget will be held on Nov. 21, 28 and Dec. 3 with a budget-focused eTown Hall to be held on Dec. 1.
The Draft Financial Plan is a starting point and may change as work progresses during the review process.
In accordance with the Community Charter, municipalities must prepare a five-year financial plan each year. Councils must adopt the five-year financial plan before adopting a property tax bylaw by May 15.

Quotes

"From road repairs to park improvements to garbage pick up, the City budget impacts our daily lives. This is a great opportunity to learn about how the budgeting process works and what next year's priorities are. I encourage Nanaimo citizens to review the draft budget, join us at the budget presentations and get your budget-related questions ready for the e-Town Hall."

Leonard Krog

Mayor

City of Nanaimo