Budget Information

The City of Moncton operates under capital, utility, and operating budgets.

2025 Budget

The proposed 2025 budget will be presented to Moncton City Council on Nov. 4, 2024. Budget deliberations will take place Nov. 5 and 6, 2024 and the final budget will be voted on Nov. 7, 2024.

Municipal Budget Guide

Who pays for what?

Each of the three levels of government is responsible for different things.

Federal government

  • Family policy
  • Seniors programs
  • Poverty reduction
  • Employment programs
  • Funding health care
  • Citizenship and immigration
  • Criminal law

Provincial government

  • Education
  • Health care
  • Highways
  • Income assistance
  • Subsidized housing
  • Nursing homes
  • Daycare
  • Tourism

Municipal government

  • City roads
  • Police and fire services
  • Drinking water
  • Public transit
  • Recreation
  • Zoning (land use)
  • Garbage, compost, and recycling

Municipal budgets

Moncton has three separate budgets: 

General operating budgetFunds all municipal programs and services not covered by the utility and capital budgets, including parks, recreation programming, public transit, police and fire services, urban planning, and building inspection; the annual operating budget is around $212 million for 2024
Capital budgetCapital funds are used to build or rehabilitate city infrastructure, such as roads, storm sewer systems, buildings, and recreation facilities; the capital budget fluctuates more widely from year to year than the operating and utility budgets, but is generally between $50 and $60 million
Utility operating budgetFunds the provision of water and wastewater services; the annual utility budget is approximately $45 million for 2024


All budgets are multi-year budgets to help support long-term planning. They are reviewed and adjusted each year. 

  • Operating and utility budgets: three-year budgets
  • Capital budget: five-year budget 

The budget year follows the calendar year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.

Where the funds come from

  • The general operating budget is funded mainly through property taxes. 
  • The utility budget is funded through user fees (water and wastewater billing).
  • The capital budget is supported through the operating budget, borrowing, and funding from other levels of government.
     

Calculating property taxes

Each year the provincial government assesses the value of every property in the province. The property assessment reflects the market value of the property — the price the property would likely sell for on the open real estate market.

Your property tax bill is calculated as follows:

  • Assessed value of your property/100 x (municipal tax rate)

For example, for a home in Moncton with a value of $308,500, the tax bill for 2024 is:

  • $308,500 /100 x $1.4231 = $4,390 or $366/month

The total assessment base for the City can grow in two ways:

  • The value of existing properties rises
  • Additional homes, businesses, and other structures are built

The City’s goal is always to manage finances responsibly and to consider the long-term consequences of fiscal decisions. As a result, it considers its tax rate carefully each year.

 Tax baseProperty tax rateProperty tax rate +/-
2024+12.2 %$1.4231-2.12 cents
2023+ 15.4 %$1.4443-10.29 cents
2022+ 10.9 %$1.5472-10.25 cents
2021+  1.7 %$1.6497No change 
2020+ 4.1 %$1.6497No change 
2019+ 3.8 %$1.6497No change 

The 22.6 cent reduction in the tax rate over the past three years has helped mitigate increases in tax bills for individual property owners who saw their assessments increase, while maintaining a budget that meets the needs of residents.

What do you get for your tax money?

Municipal governments receive eight cents of every tax dollar you pay each year, including property taxes, income tax, HST, etc. In 2024, Moncton will receive $187 million in property taxes. 

With those funds, the City of Moncton offers more than 85 services, including:

  • builds, maintains, plows, and cleans city roads and sidewalks
  • offers police and fire services
  • provides drinking water
  • operates public transit
  • develops and delivers recreation activities
  • oversees zoning (land use)
  • provides waste collection, compost, and recycling services

What you get

Home assessed at $308,500
Monthly tax bill: $366 (2024)

$51Fire and safety services
$66Police 
$53Roads, sidewalks, and snow removal 
$8Solid waste collection
$18Public transit 
$35Fiscal services 
$57General government
$20Parks
$6Facilities and operations
$12Engineering and development
$17Grants
$23Recreation, culture, and event services
$366Total tax bill/month

Budget process

Developing and implementing the budget is a year-round process. Planning for the following year’s budget begins early in the year and goes through to August. Budget development begins in earnest in the fall of each year.

Timeline for the 2025-2027 budget 

August to October 2024The City’s Finance Department collaborates with Moncton City Council and all City departments to develop a draft budget.
Nov. 4, 2024An overview of the draft budget is presented to Moncton City Council at its regular council meeting.
Nov. 5-6, 2024Public budget deliberations are held in council chambers at Moncton City Hall. Each department is given the opportunity to present its budget to council.
Nov. 7, 2024At the end of the budget deliberations, Moncton City Council votes on all motions presented during deliberations and the budget receives final approval.
 Jan. 1, 2025The budget is implemented for 2025.
January/February 2025The provincial government grants final approval of the operating budget and the New Brunswick Municipal Borrowing Board approves any borrowing for the capital budget.