Strong mayor powers to benefit budget process, says Mayor Towndale

It’s almost time for Cornwall city council to get down to work on the 2026 budget.

Each year, Cornwall’s financial services team works with staff from each department to prepare the city’s annual budget. This process starts in the summer or early fall, with a draft budget brought to council by its treasurer and CAO, followed by budget-deliberation meetings and, at some point, the opportunity for council members to direct staff to make certain changes.

This year, the process will look and feel different, thanks to the Ontario government designating Cornwall among those municipalities that have so-called strong mayor powers .

How will the 2026 budget process be different?

One of the biggest changes to how council approves the city’s annual operating and capital budgets is how it will h