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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Aylmer'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.
Questions · 7 so far
Things worth asking about
We read Aylmer's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 39 similar Ontario towns. These are the things that stood out.
What these are, and what they are not. A question here means a number or practice is unusual, or harder to see than it should be. It does not mean anyone did anything wrong. Most unusual numbers turn out to have ordinary explanations, and every question lists some. The only way to know is to ask.
Worth asking
Worth asking
There may well be a good reason. It is still worth asking what it is.
$3,348,930"other" revenue in 2025, against a budget of $50,000
The Town's 2025 budget expected "Other revenue" of $50,000. The audited statements show $3,348,930, and almost all of it ($3,240,060) sits in the planning and development column. The year before the same line was budgeted at $50,000 and came in at $1,641,000, with $1,627,500 in planning and development. The statements do not say what the money was. In the same two years the reserve set aside for industrial development went from $1,548,779 (end of 2023) to $24,845 (end of 2024) to $2,880,543 (end of 2025). The Town's budget book says land sales are kept out of the tax calculation and the net proceeds go to reserves, so land sales are one possible answer. We did not find a document that says so.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
5.27%increase in the 2026 levy, against a 2.62% tax increase on the rate
The levy is the total the Town must raise from property taxes. The 2026 budget book says staff started at "over a 10.35% levy rate increase" and that the final levy rose "approximately 5.27%", from $7,338,568 to $7,725,569, which it says is a tax increase of "approximately 2.62%" on a rate basis because the town grew. A November 10, 2025 Town release said the Town had been projecting about 6% before the Mayor announced 3% or less. These are different measures, and the Town explains the gap between the levy and the rate: new buildings add taxable value, which the budget book says offset "just over 2%". What we cannot see is what was cut or moved between the 10.35% starting point and the final budget. The budget summary table says the expenditures figure "includes reduction offset from reserves", without an amount. The line-by-line budget tables in the book are pictures, so we did not read them. The Town says the Mayor's budget was deemed adopted on December 5, 2025 without amendment by Council.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$4,972,550left in the water systems reserve at the end of 2025, down from $9,405,591 at the end of 2023
The reserve for replacing water systems held $9,405,591 at the end of 2023, $5,991,249 at the end of 2024 and $4,972,550 at the end of 2025. The 2026 budget book says water payments on new debt were estimated "using a 6.7 m debenture amount", and that the Town will use debt to "smooth the spending from reserves". Long-term debt at the end of 2025 was $6,059,564, and the statements show most repayments recovered from user charges (water and sewer bills), $2,233,333 in each of the next two five-year periods. The Mayor has said the Town has used reserves for projects such as a new water tower, an Elk Street rebuild and upgrades to the water treatment facility, to prepare for growth. The Town has explained this in general terms, but we did not find the total cost of the water tower or how the debenture will be split between water customers and other sources.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$16,812,949expenditures in 2025, against a budget of $14,942,673 in the audited statements
In the statements, total expenditures for 2025 were $16,812,949 against a budget of $14,942,673, which is $1,870,276 more (worked out by us). For 2024 the figures were $15,816,634 against $14,313,523. The largest gaps in 2025 were environmental services ($5,958,244 against $4,988,703) and transportation ($2,017,525 against $1,259,779). The Town's 2026 budget book says that over the past five years it has "maintained close to break-even budget to actual expenditures". One likely explanation is that the statements count amortization (the yearly wearing-out cost of buildings, roads and pipes, which is not paid out in cash) and the operating budget may not. Amortization was $2,159,093 in 2025. Taking it out leaves $14,653,856 (worked out by us), which is under the 2025 budget. We have not seen a Town document that says the budget leaves amortization out.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$18,206,453tangible capital assets added in 2025, against $4,374,153 in 2024
The Town added $18,206,453 of tangible capital assets (things it owns that last for years, such as roads and pipes) in 2025, compared with $4,374,153 in 2024. $17,016,791 of the 2025 total was "linear assets" (roads, water and sewer lines). Capital work in progress (projects not yet finished) fell from $10,825,354 to $1,780,824, which fits finished projects being moved into the asset total. The Town's news post on the 2025 budget said that both phases of the Elk Street reconstruction were about $8.1 million, paid mostly from federal gas-tax (Canada Community-Building Fund) reserves, and that a lagoon project of $4.5 million was supported largely by a provincial fund. Cash and short-term investments stood at $26,857,145 at the end of 2025. We are not suggesting a problem; the question is whether residents can see where the money went.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$2,263,500loan to ERTH with no specific terms of repayment
The Town lent $2,263,500 to ERTH Corporation in 2000, when the former Aylmer Public Utilities Commission was restructured. The statements say the loan has "no specific terms of repayment", earns 7.25% and can be converted into ERTH shares. The Town received $164,104 in interest in 2025. The Town also owns 15.02% of ERTH, valued at $6,474,044, and its share of ERTH's 2025 dividend was $154,735. The Town explains where the loan came from, and the interest looks like a steady source of income. What is not stated is whether the Town expects to be repaid, convert the loan to shares, or keep it indefinitely.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$292,000pledged to the library campaign so far, per the Town's news post
On October 15, 2025, council endorsed a concept design for expanding the library at the Old Town Hall, "to allow further study, technical planning, and fundraising exploration". The Town says this does not approve construction or commit any new municipal funding, that the 2026 draft budget had no new allocation for it, and that the decision belongs to the next council (2026 to 2030). The Mayor said reports of a 10 to 20 percent tax increase for the library were "not accurate". The Town started a fundraising campaign on December 10, 2025 and later reported $292,000 pledged by twenty-two supporters. We did not find a published cost estimate or a plan for how a project would be paid for.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$3,348,930"other" revenue in 2025, against a budget of $50,000
The Town's 2025 budget expected "Other revenue" of $50,000. The audited statements show $3,348,930, and almost all of it ($3,240,060) sits in the planning and development column. The year before the same line was budgeted at $50,000 and came in at $1,641,000, with $1,627,500 in planning and development. The statements do not say what the money was. In the same two years the reserve set aside for industrial development went from $1,548,779 (end of 2023) to $24,845 (end of 2024) to $2,880,543 (end of 2025). The Town's budget book says land sales are kept out of the tax calculation and the net proceeds go to reserves, so land sales are one possible answer. We did not find a document that says so.
Why it matters
A budget is the promise about what a year will bring in. A line that came in about 67 times its budget (worked out by us) is large enough that residents should be able to see what it was. If it was land the Town sold, residents should be able to see what was sold, to whom, and for how much, because the land belongs to them.
It could be because…
Sales of Town-owned land in the industrial park. The Town's budget book says the sale of land is not part of the tax calculation and that net proceeds go to reserves.
Developer payments or other one-time receipts that are hard to predict, so the Town budgets only a small amount.
The Town may report land sales in a separate public report that we could not read, because its meeting portal does not allow automated reading.
Questions you could ask
What did the $3,240,060 recorded as "Other" in planning and development in 2025, and the $1,627,500 in 2024, consist of?
Was any Town-owned land sold in 2024 or 2025, and if so which parcels, at what prices, and where was the money recorded?
Why is "other revenue" budgeted at $50,000 each year when the last two years came in far higher?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Aylmer?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The records that would answer this can be requested: Land sales in 2024 and 2025, with wording you can copy.
The evidence
Statement of operations: "Other revenue" budget 2025 50,000, actual 2025 3,348,930, actual 2024 1,641,000.
Schedule 2, segmented information, 2025: revenue line "Other" 3,348,930 in total, of which 3,240,060 is in the "Planning and Development" column and 7,400 is in "Health" and 101,470 is in "General Government".
The Town's own explanation of land sales: "the sale of land does not directly contribute to the tax levy pressure until assessment is realized on this land and the net sale of land is transferred to reserves". The book does not say how much land was sold in 2024 or 2025.
5.27%increase in the 2026 levy, against a 2.62% tax increase on the rate
The levy is the total the Town must raise from property taxes. The 2026 budget book says staff started at "over a 10.35% levy rate increase" and that the final levy rose "approximately 5.27%", from $7,338,568 to $7,725,569, which it says is a tax increase of "approximately 2.62%" on a rate basis because the town grew. A November 10, 2025 Town release said the Town had been projecting about 6% before the Mayor announced 3% or less. These are different measures, and the Town explains the gap between the levy and the rate: new buildings add taxable value, which the budget book says offset "just over 2%". What we cannot see is what was cut or moved between the 10.35% starting point and the final budget. The budget summary table says the expenditures figure "includes reduction offset from reserves", without an amount. The line-by-line budget tables in the book are pictures, so we did not read them. The Town says the Mayor's budget was deemed adopted on December 5, 2025 without amendment by Council.
Why it matters
A headline of "2.62%" and a levy increase of 5.27% describe the same budget. Residents who want to compare Aylmer with other towns need to know which number is which, and whether savings were real or were paid for out of savings accounts (reserves) that will need refilling.
It could be because…
Assessment growth explains most of the difference between the levy and the rate. The budget book says so.
The 10.35% and 6% figures were early staff estimates before the Finance Committee and the Mayor's town hall, so the drop reflects choices made in public meetings.
The reserve offset may be small. The budget book says reserves are not expected to be used to support operating costs in 2026.
Questions you could ask
What changes took the 2026 budget from the 10.35% starting point to 5.27%, listed in dollars?
How much of the $18,660,367 of expenditures is offset by transfers from reserves, and which reserves?
Will the Town publish the levy increase and the rate increase side by side each year, so the two are not confused?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Aylmer?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Executive summary: "it was over a 10.35% levy rate increase"; "the final operating budget levy is approximately 5.27% for 2026. This currently equates to a tax increase of approximately 2.62% with the 2026 current assessment."
2026 Final Budget, Table 2: 2025 Levy $7,338,568; 2026 Levy $7,725,569; 2026 Levy Increase 5.27%. Table 1 expenditures $18,660,367 carry the note "*includes reduction offset from reserves". (The page's first table is labelled "2026 Preliminary Town Budget" inside the document titled Final.)
MPAC appeals and changes: assessment growth "has however contributed to offsetting just over 2% of the tax levy impact when compared to the 2025 tax rates if forecasted estimates come through".
November 10, 2025 release: "Prior to the Mayor’s announcement, the Town of Aylmer was projecting a rate increase of approximately 6% for 2026." The Mayor announced "a 2026 tax rate increase of 3% or less".
"The final budget results in a 2.62% tax rate impact"; "the Mayor’s Budget was formally deemed adopted on December 5, 2025, without amendment by Council."
$4,972,550left in the water systems reserve at the end of 2025, down from $9,405,591 at the end of 2023
The reserve for replacing water systems held $9,405,591 at the end of 2023, $5,991,249 at the end of 2024 and $4,972,550 at the end of 2025. The 2026 budget book says water payments on new debt were estimated "using a 6.7 m debenture amount", and that the Town will use debt to "smooth the spending from reserves". Long-term debt at the end of 2025 was $6,059,564, and the statements show most repayments recovered from user charges (water and sewer bills), $2,233,333 in each of the next two five-year periods. The Mayor has said the Town has used reserves for projects such as a new water tower, an Elk Street rebuild and upgrades to the water treatment facility, to prepare for growth. The Town has explained this in general terms, but we did not find the total cost of the water tower or how the debenture will be split between water customers and other sources.
Why it matters
Water is paid for through water bills, not taxes. A shrinking reserve plus new debt means future water bills carry more of the cost. Residents should be able to see the plan and its effect on their bills.
It could be because…
The reserve was saved for exactly this purpose: replacing and building water infrastructure such as the new water tower.
Using debt for part of the cost spreads a long-lived asset's cost over the years its users benefit, and the Town says it chose this to avoid draining reserves.
Provincial rules require water systems to be paid for by water rates. The 2026 budget book says the 2021 rate study set rates to cover this.
Questions you could ask
What did the new water tower cost, and how was it paid for (reserves, grants, debt)?
When will the roughly $6.7 million debenture be issued, over how many years, and what does it add to the average household's water bill?
What balance does the Town want to hold in the water reserve, and when does it expect to refill it?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Aylmer?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Note 11, long-term liabilities: 6,059,564 in 2025 (6,564,653 in 2024). Principal due 2026 to 2030: $252,897 recovered from taxation and $2,233,333 recovered from user charges; 2031 to 2035: $2,233,333 from user charges; 2036 to 2038: $1,340,001 from user charges. Interest expensed in 2025: $300,570.
Water section: "Currently the principal and interest payments have been estimated in this 2026 budget using a 6.7 m debenture amount." The same section says the Town "will use this debt structure to fund the capital infrastructure to smooth the spending from reserves".
Mayor's statement: "We’ve done big things in Aylmer in the last few years like built a new water tower, completed Elk Street, invested in recreation, and upgraded our water treatment facility. Yes, we’ve used reserves to prepare the Town for the next couple decades of growth."
$16,812,949expenditures in 2025, against a budget of $14,942,673 in the audited statements
In the statements, total expenditures for 2025 were $16,812,949 against a budget of $14,942,673, which is $1,870,276 more (worked out by us). For 2024 the figures were $15,816,634 against $14,313,523. The largest gaps in 2025 were environmental services ($5,958,244 against $4,988,703) and transportation ($2,017,525 against $1,259,779). The Town's 2026 budget book says that over the past five years it has "maintained close to break-even budget to actual expenditures". One likely explanation is that the statements count amortization (the yearly wearing-out cost of buildings, roads and pipes, which is not paid out in cash) and the operating budget may not. Amortization was $2,159,093 in 2025. Taking it out leaves $14,653,856 (worked out by us), which is under the 2025 budget. We have not seen a Town document that says the budget leaves amortization out.
Why it matters
Residents are told the budget is met. The statements seem to say it is not. Both can be true if the two are measured differently, but a reader cannot tell which without the Town saying so.
It could be because…
The budget column in the statements is the operating budget, which may leave out amortization, while the actual column includes it.
Some spending was paid for by grants or reserves and was approved by council during the year, so it was not a surprise.
The Town may compare its budget with a cash-based year-end report that is not in the statements.
Questions you could ask
Does the operating budget shown in the audited statements include amortization? If not, can the Town say so in the notes?
Can the Town publish a table that goes from the budgeted expenditures of $14,942,673 to the audited $16,812,949 for 2025?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Aylmer?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Statement of operations, 2025 budget / 2025 actual: total expenditures 14,942,673 / 16,812,949. Transportation services 1,259,779 / 2,017,525. Environmental services 4,988,703 / 5,958,244. Protection to persons and property 4,229,835 / 4,719,800.
$18,206,453tangible capital assets added in 2025, against $4,374,153 in 2024
The Town added $18,206,453 of tangible capital assets (things it owns that last for years, such as roads and pipes) in 2025, compared with $4,374,153 in 2024. $17,016,791 of the 2025 total was "linear assets" (roads, water and sewer lines). Capital work in progress (projects not yet finished) fell from $10,825,354 to $1,780,824, which fits finished projects being moved into the asset total. The Town's news post on the 2025 budget said that both phases of the Elk Street reconstruction were about $8.1 million, paid mostly from federal gas-tax (Canada Community-Building Fund) reserves, and that a lagoon project of $4.5 million was supported largely by a provincial fund. Cash and short-term investments stood at $26,857,145 at the end of 2025. We are not suggesting a problem; the question is whether residents can see where the money went.
Why it matters
This was the largest capital year in the statements we read. Residents benefit from the new assets, and also inherit the cost of maintaining and eventually replacing them.
It could be because…
Elk Street, the lagoon optimization and the water tower were all large approved projects that were finished or moved out of work in progress in 2025.
Most of the cost was paid by grants and reserves set aside for these projects, not new taxes.
Questions you could ask
Can the Town list the projects behind the 2025 additions, with the final cost of each and its funding sources?
What yearly maintenance and replacement cost do these new assets add to future budgets?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Aylmer?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Schedule 1, tangible capital assets: additions during the year 18,206,453 in 2025 (4,374,153 in 2024); linear assets additions 17,016,791.
Finance Committee news post on the 2025 budget: "both phases of the Elk Street Reconstruction, totaling approximately $8.1 million", funded "primarily through reserves accumulated from the Federal Canada Community-Building Fund"; the "Lagoon Optimization Project, a $4.5 million investment supported largely by the Provincial Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund (HEWSF)".
$2,263,500loan to ERTH with no specific terms of repayment
The Town lent $2,263,500 to ERTH Corporation in 2000, when the former Aylmer Public Utilities Commission was restructured. The statements say the loan has "no specific terms of repayment", earns 7.25% and can be converted into ERTH shares. The Town received $164,104 in interest in 2025. The Town also owns 15.02% of ERTH, valued at $6,474,044, and its share of ERTH's 2025 dividend was $154,735. The Town explains where the loan came from, and the interest looks like a steady source of income. What is not stated is whether the Town expects to be repaid, convert the loan to shares, or keep it indefinitely.
Why it matters
A loan with no end date is a long-term decision that is easy to forget. Together the loan and the shares are about $8.7 million of residents' money tied up in one company, and a council should be able to say what it intends.
It could be because…
The loan was part of the 2000 arrangement that moved the former utilities commission into ERTH, and the interest income helps the Town's budget.
Keeping it as a loan, with the option to convert, may be a deliberate way to keep the Town's 15.02% share from being diluted.
Council may have discussed the loan in meetings that we could not read.
Questions you could ask
Does council expect ERTH to repay the $2,263,500, or does it intend to convert it into shares or leave it in place?
When did council last review the loan and the Town's 15.02% holding in ERTH, and where is the record?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Aylmer?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Note 5: "The Town entered into a loan arrangement for $2,263,500 with ERTH on September 1, 2000 as a result of the restructuring of the former Aylmer Public Utilities Commission under Bill 35. The loan is receivable from ERTH with no specific terms of repayment, bearing interest at a rate of 7.25%". In 2025, $164,104 interest was received. "The loan is convertible to Class B shares of ERTH."
$292,000pledged to the library campaign so far, per the Town's news post
On October 15, 2025, council endorsed a concept design for expanding the library at the Old Town Hall, "to allow further study, technical planning, and fundraising exploration". The Town says this does not approve construction or commit any new municipal funding, that the 2026 draft budget had no new allocation for it, and that the decision belongs to the next council (2026 to 2030). The Mayor said reports of a 10 to 20 percent tax increase for the library were "not accurate". The Town started a fundraising campaign on December 10, 2025 and later reported $292,000 pledged by twenty-two supporters. We did not find a published cost estimate or a plan for how a project would be paid for.
Why it matters
The Town has already answered the question of whether the 2026 budget includes the library: it says it does not. Residents have asked about the longer-term cost, and the election on October 26, 2026 will choose the council that decides.
It could be because…
The design is still at an early stage, so a firm cost is not yet available.
Grants and donations may be intended to pay for most of the project, which the Town says it is exploring.
Questions you could ask
What is the current cost estimate for the library expansion, and what share is expected from donations, grants and taxes?
Will the next council publish its funding plan before committing to construction?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Aylmer?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"Council’s October 15, 2025, decision endorsed a conceptual class D design for a downtown library expansion to allow further study, technical planning, and fundraising exploration. This does not approve construction or commit any new municipal funding." "The 2026 draft budget as presented to the Finance Committee has included no new allocations for library redevelopment."
Mayor's statement: "Some residents have asked about reports of a 10 to 20 percent tax increase for the library; that information is not accurate." "The decision to build a new or expanded library would not be made until the next term of Council (2026–2030)."
The Town describes "Design Option 1": "a two-storey addition on the west side of the Old Town Hall, plus a single-storey extension into the adjacent park space". A pledge has a minimum of $1,000 and is "Only payable when construction starts".
"the community fundraising campaign in support of the Aylmer Library project has now reached $292,000 in community support to date" from "twenty-two supporters who have pledged to date". The post carries no date.
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