Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to Athens' budget, taxes and council decisions. A rural township of about 3,053 people in Leeds and Grenville, about 25 minutes north west of Brockville, with a mayor and six councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
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Questions worth asking
Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.
$661Kowed in unpaid property tax, end of 2025
At the end of 2025, $661K of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 17% of everything billed. Only 2 of 29 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $536K.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$362per home on council, 2025
Athens spent about $362 per home on council in 2025. The typical similar town spent $90. Only 2 of 29 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
$375,404user fees in 2024, against a budget of $198,750
User fees (arena ice, hall rentals and similar charges) were budgeted at $198,750 and came in at $375,404, which is $176,654 more (worked out by us). "Other" revenue was budgeted at $233,348 and came in at $83,306, which is $150,042 less (worked out by us). Together these two lines nearly cancel, which hints that the budget put some money on a different line from the one the statements use. Investment income was also above plan: $70,506 against $45,000.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$300,000 and $315,000the two prices Council heard for the two tanker options on January 12, 2026
On January 12, 2026 Council heard that two tankers were available at $300,000 and $315,000, and authorized the fire chief to buy "the 2018 tanker as per option #1". The minutes do not say which price went with which option, or where the money comes from. The CAO told Council the Township could "financially" handle it. At the end of 2024 the fire equipment replacement reserve held $123,644, after $293,855 was taken out that year. In December 2025 Council was told municipal debt was zero. On March 9, 2026 Council passed a bylaw to put the 2025 year-end surplus into reserves, but the minutes do not give an amount. In February the old tanker sold for $12,500.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
Not printedthe minutes give no cost or term for the backhoe lease
At its June 8, 2026 meeting, Council heard a staff report on a backhoe. The minutes say the lease cost "will be taken from the amount that would have gone to roads equipment reserve", that the payments will be set up through a finance company and "not BMO", and that the transfer to reserve will be reduced by the lease payment. The minutes give no price, term or interest rate. They also refer to a vote on the backhoe that was recorded by name, but the meeting where that vote took place is not in the minutes we could find.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
0.00529256the Township's residential rate in 2026, up from 0.00471037 in 2024
The Township's own residential tax rate was 0.00471037 in 2024, 0.00499299 in 2025 and 0.00529256 in 2026. Each step is a rise of 6.0% (worked out by us). The county's rate rose less: 0.00451033 to 0.00462120 from 2025 to 2026, which is 2.5% (worked out by us). The education rate stayed at 0.00153000. A tax rate is only part of the story, because a bill also depends on the value of each property. We could not see the 2026 budget or tax levy, so we cannot tell how much of the rise is meant to raise more money and how much is meant to offset changes in property values.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
April 21, 2026the date set for the budget meeting; we found no budget or minutes from it on the Township's site
The Township posts monthly minutes as text, which is good. But we did not find a budget on its site, the minutes of the April 21 and May 7, 2026 meetings (the budget meeting was set for April 21), or a council pay statement. Agendas and the 2025 audited statements are posted as pictures of pages, which a screen reader or a search cannot read. In December 2025 a member of the public told Council that staff reports are not posted, and was told a package can be sent on request.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$1.1Min savings at the end of 2025
Towns keep savings (called reserves) to pay for new trucks, roof repairs and surprises. Athens had $1.1M saved at the end of 2025, up from $920K in 2019. That is 40% of one year's spending. Only 5 of 29 similar towns had less, compared with what they spend.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$827,645amortization in 2024, counted in actual spending but apparently not in the budget
A budget is the plan for the year. The audited 2024 statements show a plan for a surplus of $633,004 and a result of a deficit of $318,841, a gap of $951,845 (worked out by us). Spending on the plan was $2,595,638 and actual spending was $3,400,413. But actual spending includes "amortization", which is the yearly accounting cost of roads, buildings and trucks wearing out. It is not cash going out the door. Amortization was $827,645. Taking it out, actual spending was $2,572,768, which is $22,870 below the plan (worked out by us). The statements do not say the budget leaves out amortization, but the plan's numbers add up without it: $633,004 less planned purchases of $927,359 is the planned change of $(294,355), with nothing added back. So most of the gap looks like accounting, not overspending. The rest, about $124,200 (worked out by us), is revenue that came in below plan (see the next questions).
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$351,248environmental services in 2024, against a budget of $267,717 and $65,830 in 2023
Environmental services is the line that covers garbage collection and the landfill. It was $65,830 in 2023, $267,717 in the 2024 budget and $351,248 in 2024. The statements say amortization is part of every line, but we could not read how much belongs to this one (the table that splits it up has columns that cannot be matched safely). The landfill may explain the 2023 figure: a yearly accounting estimate of future landfill care costs went down by $213,632 in 2023 and up by $54,358 in 2024. The statements do not say which line that estimate sits in.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$209,440gap between two 2023 spending totals in the same statements (worked out by us)
The statement of operations shows total 2023 spending of $3,062,685. The note "Expenses by object" in the same statements shows 2023 total of $3,272,125, which is $209,440 higher (worked out by us). The 2023 surplus of $173,264 matches the first figure. For 2024 the totals differ by only $4: $3,400,413 and $3,400,417. A similar small slip appears in Note 5, which prints the landfill liability as 348,868 while the balance sheet shows 348,968. We could not check whether the 2023 figures were restated, because the 2023 statements are posted as pictures of pages.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
A property tax bill in Athens pays for three governments. Only part of it goes to the town, and that part is what Athens council controls.
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We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.
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