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Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Read by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date. Check the sources, and tell us if you spot a mistake. What this site can't tell you
Read by hand. We read Aurora's own documents for this site in October 2026; the Sources page lists which ones. The comparisons with other places still come from the Province's yearly reports.

Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Aurora is run by an elected council of 7 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the town day to day.

Current council

Names and official email addresses from the town's council page. None of the members lists a public social media account there.

What council is paid

Every year the town has to publish what each council member was paid, and what was spent on their benefits and expenses. These are the totals from those statements, 2024 to 2025.

In 2025, the whole council cost $448,779 in pay, benefits and expenses, about $20 per home. The mayor's pay went up 6% from 2024 to 2025; prices went up 2% over the same years.
Pay, and benefits and expenses, for each council member by year
Member20252024
Tom Mrakas
Mayor		$114,796+ $44,198$107,829+ $45,302
Harold Kim
Councillor, Ward 6		$42,220+ $4,081$40,083+ $11,001
Wendy Gaertner
Councillor, Ward 3		$42,220+ $2,681$40,083+ $2,407
John Gallo
Councillor, Ward 5		$42,220+ $7,674$40,083+ $8,377
Rachel Gilliland
Councillor, Ward 2		$42,220+ $9,789$40,083+ $9,661
Michael Thompson
Councillor, Ward 4		$42,220+ $7,216$40,083+ $8,941
Ron Weese
Councillor, Ward 1		$42,220+ $5,024$40,083+ $2,583

Top number: pay. Second number: benefits and expenses together, such as health cover, mileage, conferences and training. Exactly what goes in it differs a little from town to town; the note below says what this town’s statement includes. Some members take the town’s health plan and some do not, so a higher second number is not a problem by itself. The statements give only totals; the receipts behind them can be requested from the clerk.

Each year links to the town's statement. From the Town's yearly statements of remuneration and expenses under s. 284 of the Municipal Act, 2001. "pay" is the remuneration column. "other" is the total less pay: benefits, vehicle or travel allowance and expenses reimbursed (worked out by us). The Mayor's line excludes anything paid on behalf of York Region, which York Region reports separately.

How open is Aurora?

What a resident can find online without asking, as of October 5, 2026.

  • Yes
    Budgets posted online

    The 2026 budget is posted in sections called tabs, marked as adopted December 7, 2025, with budgets for 2023 to 2025 on their own pages. A 2027 budget page exists and, when we read it, offered a public survey but gave no council dates. Source

  • Yes
    Audited financial statements

    The 2025 consolidated statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from KPMG LLP dated June 23, 2026. The 2024 statements are also posted. Source

  • Yes
    Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

    Annual statements are posted for 2016 to 2025, with half-year reports for 2021 to 2026. Source

  • Unknown
    Meeting agendas and minutes

    The Town posts agendas and minutes and a 2026 meeting schedule, and says it streams meetings. We did not read any minutes, so we cannot say how current they are. Source

  • Partly
    Integrity Commissioner reports

    The page lists a periodic report from July 2023 and an annual report from March 2021. We did not find a later one. Source

  • Yes
    Declarations of interest registry

    A table and signed forms are posted. The table shows 2025 as "None". Source

Where the town speaks for itself

Aurora's official channels, as linked from its own website. Council members may also post on their own pages; we link only to official municipal channels.

Ask for the records

Anyone can ask the town for its records under Ontario's Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). You do not have to say why. Here is how it works, and the wording for the records that would answer the questions on this site.

  1. Send the request in writing to the town clerk (the freedom of information coordinator), on the town’s form or in a letter, with the $5 application fee.
  2. Describe the records, not the answer you want. Dates, departments and the kind of record (a list, invoices, emails) make a request quicker and cheaper.
  3. The town has 45 business days to answer (the law changed in 2026; older guides say 30 days). It can charge for search time and copies, but must send an estimate first if the fees will be over $25.
  4. Some parts can be held back, such as legal advice or personal information about other people. The town must say which part of the law it relied on.
  5. If you are refused, or the fees seem too high, you can appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner within 30 business days of the town’s decision.

The town's request form (on its Forms page) · The law · Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

  • Where the 2025 interest income went

    Interest income was 10,603 (thousands of dollars) in 2025 and the operating budget counts on $1.6 million. The documents do not split it between reserves, development charges and operations. Related question: Why does the Town budget for only $1.6 million of investment income when it earned $10.6 million in interest in 2025?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide a schedule of interest and investment income earned by the Town of Aurora in 2025, by fund or reserve (operating, each reserve, development charges, parkland, and other), and the amount credited to each.

  • What made up the 2024 and 2025 general government revenue

    General Government user fees were 16,664 in 2024 and 1,464 in 2025. The statements do not say what the lines held or whether comparatives were reclassified. Related question: Why did user fees fall from $68.8 million in 2024 to $53.2 million in 2025, when the Town budgeted $57.5 million?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the general ledger accounts and amounts that make up "User fees" and "Other" revenue in the General Government segment for 2024 and 2025 in the Town's consolidated financial statements, including any reclassification of 2024 comparatives.

  • The long-term asset funding strategy

    The 2026 budget says a strategy to close the asset funding gap will go to Council before the 2027 budget. Related question: Why does the Town's own forecast show its capital reserves falling from $97.0 million to $49.0 million in one year, with some reserves going below zero?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Please provide the long-term financial strategy for asset management funding referred to in the 2026 Budget, Tab 5, including any draft, staff report and the forecast of the funding gap by year.

The wording is a starting point, not legal advice. Narrow the dates if the town says a request is too broad or too costly.

How to raise a concern

From the gentlest step to the most serious. Start at the top.

  1. Integrity Commissioner

    The Town says its Integrity Commissioner takes complaints about the Council Code of Conduct. The latest periodic report we found is Information Report CS23-042 (July 4, 2023), written by Principles Integrity for January 2021 to May 31, 2023. It says eight inquiries were made about possible complaints and that all were resolved or disposed of without a public report. We did not find a later periodic report on the page.

  2. Registry of declarations of interest

    The Town keeps a public table of pecuniary interests declared by members of Council and committees, with links to the signed forms, back to 2018. It lists none for 2022 and none for 2025.