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On the third day of Regina’s 2026-27 budget deliberations, Mayor Chad Bachynski brought a lowered 10.73 proposed mill rate increase to council on Wednesday morning.
The mayor said the figure was a starting point for council to go off of, and after several hours of discussion, it had been lowered to 11.26 per cent by Wednesday afternoon.
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City administration originally forecasted a 15.69 per cent increase in November, which would have cost an extra $33 per month or $396 per year for the average homeowner. The forecasted mill rate is what the administration said it would cost to maintain existing service levels for the city, as it needs to cover a $51.78 million deficit.
The newly proposed 11.26 per cent mill rate would mean an additional $285 per year for the average homeowner if approved.
Bachynski’s proposal is an amended version of the administration’s supplemental report. It would seek to approve the $647.7 million gross operating budget and a total property tax levy of $368.3 million.
Some of the changes to services brought in by Bachynski’s amendment include:
- $200,000 reduction in consulting services
- $240,000 reduction in the casual benefits budget for Parks and Open Space
- Discontinuing free parking at Wascana Pool ($40,000)
- $300,000 reduction in professional service costs
- Cancelling budget requests for new FTEs to support addressing a backlog of projects ($120,000)
- Deferring the 2026 fleet reserve to 2027 ($3.7 million)
Bachynski’s proposal would also approve $2.7 million in funding for the Provincial Capital Commission, $1.98 million for Economic Development Regina and $10.8 million for Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL).
Ahead of budget talks, administration outlined 131 possible reduction measures for council to take – should they choose to – ranging from ending community grants, reducing transit hours or reducing full-time positions.
On Monday, council approved the budget for the Regina Police Service, which accounts for 2.2 per cent of the mill rate.
On Tuesday, council heard from various community members, organizations and interest groups. Some are passionate against cuts, while others are staunchly opposed to the forecasted mill rate.
Transit safety
Ward 8 Coun. Shanon Zachidniak successfully motioned to approve funding for two full-time enhanced safety and security positions for public transit ($260,000) as well as eight full-time transit peace officers ($430,000).
In order to offset the costs, Zachidniak also motioned to cut $310,000 in 2026 for additional operator positions meant to address overtime; $10,000 for non-fare pricing changes; $420,000 in costs for an increased fleet size; $12,000 in disability training for operators and $320,000 in conventional service improvements. This measure was also approved.
Zachidniak had also intended to remove the 10 per cent fare increase, but that item was defeated in a separate vote.
Funding for playgrounds
Ward 7 Coun. Shobna Radons successfully passed a motion to allocate $460,000 from the city’s 2026 Asset Revitalization Reserve to fund city-owned accessible playground capital projects. The motion also includes moving $160,000 in current capital contributions for playgrounds to a new grant program for playground enhancements, which are to be given to qualifying community associations and parents.
This carried no implications for the mill rate.
Funding for city reserves
Ward 3 Coun. David Froh amended the proposed budget to allocate $1.32 million annually to the city’s General Reserve Fund and provide $1.01 million annually to the city’s Asset Revitalization Reserve — both to take place over five years.
According to city administration, the money for the General Reserve Fund will increase the mill rate by 0.4 per cent and the money for the Asset Revitalization Reserve will increase it by 0.3 per cent.
Budget deliberations are scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
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