Clarington budget planning for 2027 is drawing different approaches from mayoral candidates Adrian Foster and Tom Dingwall, with one emphasizing an existing levy direction and the other promising a detailed review of municipal services and administration.
The candidates set out their positions in responses published by DurhamRegion.com on October 18, ahead of the October 26 municipal election. The answers concern how the next budget should be prepared; they do not constitute an adopted 2027 budget.
Foster points to surplus-funded restraint
Foster said his direction to staff remains a maximum three-per-cent operating and capital net levy impact in each of 2026 and 2027. He linked that approach to using a $6.4-million surplus from 2024 and said he did not expect it to require service cuts.
The municipality’s published directive, MDI-2025-01, independently confirms the central instruction: use the identified surplus to limit the levy impact to three per cent in each of those years. The municipal register lists the directive under June 25, 2025.
Foster also said council would review the 2027 budget and could make changes through the budget process. The levy direction should not be confused with a guarantee about the complete tax bill for every property, which includes more than a single municipal budget figure.
Dingwall proposes a closer look at services
Dingwall said he would begin with a review separating required services from discretionary activity. He also proposed examining management and administrative staffing and compensation, looking for efficiencies before considering reductions to services.
His response called for eliminating unnecessary expenditures and seeking provincial funding while protecting essential municipal functions. He described greater scrutiny of departmental budgets and opportunities for every councillor to question spending and put forward alternatives.
Dingwall also pointed to payments in lieu of taxes connected with the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station and anticipated future revenue associated with small modular reactors. His campaign response did not establish a confirmed amount or payment schedule for that prospective revenue, and it should not be treated as money already available for the 2027 budget.
Choices ahead, not a final tax decision
The distinction between the approaches is how restraint would be achieved: Foster relies on an existing surplus-funded direction, while Dingwall emphasizes service and administrative reviews alongside other potential revenue. Neither questionnaire answer supplies a complete department-by-department 2027 spending plan.
For residents comparing Clarington budget proposals, the next steps will be the detailed budget documents and council’s consideration of spending and services. The campaign statements describe intended approaches; the official directive provides the verifiable starting point for the current levy target.
Featured image: original editorial illustration, not documentary photography.
