Mayor's Budget

The Municipal Act, 2001, is a provincial statute that regulates Strong Mayor Powers in Ontario. The Mayor’s special powers and duties under Part VI.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001, include powers to propose the municipal budget, which would be subject to council amendments and a mayoral veto and council override process.

In a municipality designated by the province, including the Municipality of Brockton, the Mayor is required by the Municipal Act, 2001 and Ontario Regulation 530/22 to prepare a budget for the municipality and provide it to each member of council and to the clerk on or before February 1^st of each year.

After the budget is proposed, Council has 30 days to pass resolutions to amend the Mayor's budget. If there are no amendments passed within the 30-day period, the Mayor’s budget is adopted.

If Council passes resolutions to amend the Mayor's budget, the Mayor can decide to veto Council’s resolutions within 10 days of the expiry of the time period for Council to pass a resolution.

If the Mayor doesn’t veto any amendments within the 10-day period, the budget as amended by Council resolutions is deemed adopted.

If the Mayor vetoes Council’s resolutions to amend the Mayor's budget, Council can vote to override the veto within 15 days of the expiry of the time period for the Mayor to veto a resolution. In the vote to override a veto, two-thirds (2/3) of the members of Council must vote to override the veto or the vote will fail. If Council overrides the Mayor’s veto, the amendment passed by Council will continue to have effect. If Council does not vote to override the Mayor’s veto, then the budget is adopted by the Municipality after the expiry of the time period for Council to override the Mayor’s veto.

No, the legislation does not allow the Mayor to delegate their powers and duties related to the budget, the duty could only be forfeited by the Mayor by not proposing a budget prior to February 1, 2026.

Strong Mayor Power’s provide a specific veto process with respect to the Mayor’s Budget. The Mayor is expected to propose a budget prior to February 1 of the budget year, and the Council may make amendments to the budget. The Mayor may veto the amendments made by Council, and Council can then override the Mayor’s veto with a 2/3 vote up to 15 days after the Mayor’s veto. The Mayoral power to veto municipal Council amendments to the Mayor’s Budget is not limited to provincial priorities.

The Mayor’s Budget is ‘deemed to be adopted’ based on timeframes set out in the legislation, not approved by Council.