Summary#
Montréal city council unanimously adopted a resolution setting the reconstituted municipalities’ contributions to downtown-related expenses for 2026. It uses an existing Charter requirement to set each municipality’s share; city staff say the goal is to specify the annual allocation.
- The 15 municipalities must pay a total of $9,785,916 to the City of Montréal.
- Each municipality’s share is based on its share of the agglomeration’s fiscal capacity (its ability to raise revenue).
- The contributions are due in two equal instalments: March 16 and June 1, 2026.
- The City’s 2026 rules on payment methods and interest on overdue property taxes apply, with necessary adjustments.
What it means for you#
- The 15 reconstituted municipalities: Each must pay its listed contribution. The amounts are: Baie-D’Urfé $378,990; Beaconsfield $486,058; Côte-Saint-Luc $593,884; Dollard-des-Ormeaux $938,409; Dorval $1,657,122; Hampstead $234,570; Kirkland $656,442; L’Île-Dorval $1,515; Montréal-Est $484,133; Montréal-Ouest $127,600; Mont-Royal $1,165,309; Pointe-Claire $1,661,312; Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue $197,575; Senneville $89,335; and Westmount $1,113,661.
- Residents of those municipalities: Their municipality must make the payment, but the resolution does not set residents’ individual taxes or say how a municipality will fund its share.
- Montréal residents: The resolution brings revenue to the City for downtown-related expenses. It does not specify a direct change to residents’ taxes or services.
Money#
The resolution sets $9,785,916 in revenue for the City for 2026.
- City staff say the amount reflects a 1.3% increase under the annual indexation rule.
- The resolution does not give a separate estimate for administration costs or the City’s total downtown-related spending.
What is unclear#
- The resolution does not list the downtown expenses this contribution will fund or how the money will be used.
- It does not explain how the fiscal-capacity shares were calculated beyond stating that this is the basis for dividing the contribution.
- It does not say how each municipality will fund its payment.
Case for#
- The resolution sets out each municipality’s share and payment dates, giving the City a defined contribution for 2026.
- Dividing the amount by fiscal capacity follows the allocation basis stated in the Charter.
Case against#
- The total is a substantial obligation for the 15 municipalities, but the resolution does not explain how each share affects their budgets.
- The resolution does not connect the contribution to a list of specific downtown expenses, so residents cannot see from this decision what the money will pay for.