Nelson NewsNelson fire department budget request for 2026 tops $541,000Fire budget increase .5MPhoto: City of Nelson agenda screenshot Nelson fire department is expecting a 17 per cent increase in staff salaries and benefits — a rise of $404,520 for a total of $2.84 million for 2026. Net operating costs for the Nelson Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) are projected to increase by $541,432 — according to the 2026 budget projections presented to Nelson city council on Jan. 23. City surplus will fund just over $200,000 ($210,221) of the fire department’s budget increase “to kind of smooth that tax increase for residents,” Mooney added. But the money Nelson taxpayers pay for the fire service is recouped in the savings on home insurance, said city manager Kevin Cormack. “If we had a voluntary department your home insurance rates would be that difference, at least,” he pointed out.