Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath issued a Mayoral Directive on December 1 to appoint Ward 12 Councillor Craig Cassar as her 2026 budget committee vice-chair.
Ward 1 Councillor Maureen Wilson is 2026 budget committee chair, a role Mayor Horwath again appointed Wilson to. Wilson was the Mayor’s 2025 budget chair.
As vice-chair, Cassar will chair budget meetings if Wilson is absent or if Wilson is speaking to a matter before the budget committee.
Cassar stated he accepted the role “because that’s part of my responsibility” and he hopes to “ensure trust in the [budget] process for the public.”
“Ultimately, it’s the Mayor’s budget.”
All members of Council are members of the budget committee.
Under the Ontario Municipal Act’s ‘Strong Mayor Powers’, Mayor Andrea Horwath decides the City of Hamilton’s budget.
The budget committee’s powers are limited to making amendment recommendation to Mayor’s budget.
Once Mayor Horwath formally issues her budget, City Council will have 30 days to pass any resolutions proposing amendments. Following this, the Mayor has up to 10 days to issue vetoes against any amendments. If no vetoes are issued, the budget is adopted.
If the Mayor disagrees with an amendment, they can issue a veto. City Council will then have 15 days to conduct a vote to override with a two-thirds majority vote.
In the event City Council does amend the Mayor’s budget, the Mayor can issue a veto if she does not agree to the change. Council would then have the option to override the Mayor’s veto by a two-thirds majority vote.
The Mayor’s draft budget was issued on December 11.
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Published: December 29, 2025
Last updated: December 29, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
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