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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Bayham'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 · 8 so far
Things worth asking about
We read Bayham's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 37 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.
$4,073,431.49remaining Ojibwa debt paid off on March 6, 2025, from a reserve
Bayham had a loan tied to the HMCS Ojibwa (the town's own words are "debt associated with the HMCS Ojibwa"). The loan had to be paid off or renewed in March 2025. Council made paying it off its top priority, and said so in public. On March 6, 2025, Council paid the remaining $4,073,431.49 from a reserve (a savings account the town keeps for a set purpose). The town linked its 2024 budget increase of 10.33 percent to this goal, and that budget included a further $1,000,000 levy for the reserve. We did not find a page that adds up everything residents put in over the years, or what the loan cost in interest.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
1.5% to 4.9%yearly increase the plan recommends, per the 2024 and 2026 budget summaries
An asset management plan (AMP) is the town's long-term plan for keeping roads, bridges and buildings in good repair. The 2024 budget summary says the plan recommends increasing revenues by 1.5% each year for 20 years. The 2026 summary says it recommends increasing capital tax revenues by 4.9% each year for 25 years. The capital levy (the part of taxes set aside for repairs and replacement) was raised by $150,098 in 2024 and by $168,250 in 2026.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
18.32% to 12.84%General Government share, 2024 to 2026 budget summaries
Each year's budget summary lists how the budget is split between services. General Government (the town's own administration) is shown at 18.32% in 2024 and 12.84% in 2026. Capital Programs (repairs and new building) is shown at 25.23% in 2024 and 30.91% in 2026. By our own arithmetic, General Government dropped by 5.48 percentage points and Capital Programs rose by 5.68 (worked out by us).
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$61,553.01surplus from the 2025 pilot, after expenses, as the town's highlights put it
In January 2025 staff proposed charging for parking at the East Beach so it would stop being paid for by the tax levy. Council approved a one-year pilot. In November 2025 the town said the program showed a net revenue of $99,806.47 and, "less expenses", a total of $61,553.01 to be surplus. Council made it permanent. The wording does not say whether $61,553.01 is the amount left after costs, so the cost side is unclear (our reading, worked out by us: costs of about $38,000 if so).
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
Bayham's Integrity Commissioner (who looks into complaints about council members' conduct) and its closed-meeting investigator are the same law firm. The town says their services "are billed back to the Municipality". On May 7, 2026, Council discussed the cost of investigations by provincially required bodies and passed a resolution to include that correspondence in future talks about services such as the Integrity Commissioner and in "office escalation policies". We did not find any yearly cost for these services in what we read.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
Over $465,000general reserve interest accrued on 2024 investments, per a report to Council
Reserves are savings the town sets aside for set purposes. On February 19, 2026, the town's highlights said some information on social media and in newspapers is "inaccurate and exaggerating the current reserves". We did not find a page that lists every reserve and its balance. The pieces we found: a report said over $465,000 in general reserve interest was accrued on 2024 investments, and in March 2025 two reserves were named at $222,399 (Fire) and $132,080 (Rate Stabilization).
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
10.33% to 1.75%tax rate increase approved for 2024, then for 2026
The town's yearly budget summaries show very different tax rate increases. 2024 was 10.33%. The 2025 budget was set at a 6% levy increase, which the town says meant about 3.5% on the average tax rate. 2026 was 1.75%. The town gives reasons for the change: slower building in 2023 and fast building in 2024 and 2025, which gave it more properties to tax.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
Twice the costwhat the Council Highlights say paper ballots cost compared with the staff recommendation
In spring 2025 the Clerk gave Council a report on how to run the October 26, 2026 election. The report recommended internet and telephone voting. Council deferred it once to ask for more information. On May 1, 2025, Council rejected that option and chose traditional paper ballots, which the town's highlights say cost "twice the recommended option". The town says it will use in-person paper ballots.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$4,073,431.49remaining Ojibwa debt paid off on March 6, 2025, from a reserve
Bayham had a loan tied to the HMCS Ojibwa (the town's own words are "debt associated with the HMCS Ojibwa"). The loan had to be paid off or renewed in March 2025. Council made paying it off its top priority, and said so in public. On March 6, 2025, Council paid the remaining $4,073,431.49 from a reserve (a savings account the town keeps for a set purpose). The town linked its 2024 budget increase of 10.33 percent to this goal, and that budget included a further $1,000,000 levy for the reserve. We did not find a page that adds up everything residents put in over the years, or what the loan cost in interest.
Why it matters
Paying off debt early can save interest and free up room to borrow for roads and buildings, which the town says it now has. It also meant higher taxes in 2024 and 2025 than would otherwise have been needed. Residents can only judge whether it was a good trade if they can see the whole cost in one place.
It could be because…
The town says the 10-year term ended in March 2025 and it had to "refinance or retire the loan". Paying it off ahead of that may have saved years of interest.
Council said openly, from January 2024, that paying the debt off was its top priority for this term. The higher tax increase was a choice made in public.
Part of the money may have come from other sources, such as investment interest and the sale of town land, so the tax levy was not the only source.
The town says that with the debt gone, all of its borrowing room is now free for roads and buildings, which may lower future costs.
Questions you could ask
How much was put into the Guarantorship Reserve in each year, and from which sources (tax levy, capital levy, land sales, interest)?
What did the loan cost in interest over its life, and how much interest was saved by paying it off in March 2025?
In plain words, what was the loan for, and who was it owed to?
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 Bayham?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
News post of January 10, 2024: the draft 2024-2025 Operating Budget "reflected an 11.34 percent tax increase" so that the Ojibwa debt could be paid off as much as possible before March 2025. Council did not approve it that night and asked staff for possible savings.
News post of March 6, 2024: on March 5, 2024 Council adopted the 2024 Operating Budget with a 10.33 percent tax levy increase, down from 11.34 percent. It says "The overall budget includes a $1,000,000 levy for the Guarantorship Loan Transfer Reserve" to pay down the remaining principal on the debt. The overall notional levy increase (the extra dollars the town asks for in total) is $593,300 for 2024.
2024 Budget Approval infographic: "From 2023 onward, the Municipality increased the Capital Levy to fund Project Ojibwa debt and rising future construction costs". It adds that in 2024 the Municipality increased the Capital Levy by $150,098.
Council Highlights, February 6, 2025, looking back on 2024: "Significant progress towards retiring the Ojibwa debt", including "Another $1.1 million from the Capital Budget in 2025" and Ann Street residential lots listed for sale.
Council Highlights, March 6, 2025: the Treasurer recommended retiring "the remaining $4,073,431.49 in debt associated with the HMCS Ojibwa". Council directed the debt be retired in full using the funds from the Guarantorship Reserve, "effectively paying off the loan fifteen years earlier than planned". It says the town can now use its "entire debt capacity" for capital projects.
News post of March 28, 2025: Council approved the 2025 Operating Budget with a 6% tax levy increase, "which means the average resident will see a 3.5% increase to their tax rate in 2025", and was "bringing a budget forward less than one month after retiring the Ojibwa debt".
1.5% to 4.9%yearly increase the plan recommends, per the 2024 and 2026 budget summaries
An asset management plan (AMP) is the town's long-term plan for keeping roads, bridges and buildings in good repair. The 2024 budget summary says the plan recommends increasing revenues by 1.5% each year for 20 years. The 2026 summary says it recommends increasing capital tax revenues by 4.9% each year for 25 years. The capital levy (the part of taxes set aside for repairs and replacement) was raised by $150,098 in 2024 and by $168,250 in 2026.
Why it matters
If the plan's yearly ask is more than three times bigger, residents should expect the capital part of their taxes to keep rising for decades. They should be told why the number changed and what it would buy.
It could be because…
The two summaries may measure different things. The 2024 one says "revenues" and the 2026 one says "capital tax revenues", so the percentages may apply to different totals.
The plan may have been updated. The 2024 summary lists an "AMP update" among the budget highlights, and the 2026 summary gives a 25-year period instead of 20.
Costs of construction have risen, which would raise the amount needed to keep assets in good repair.
Questions you could ask
What changed in the Asset Management Plan between 2024 and 2026, and where can residents read the current plan?
What total capital levy does the plan expect by 2030 and by 2040?
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 Bayham?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
2024 Budget Approval infographic: "The Municipality of Bayham Asset Management Plan recommends increasing revenues by 1.5% each year for the next 20 years solely for the purpose of phasing in full funding to Capital Assets." In 2024 the Municipality increased the Capital Levy by $150,098.
2026 Budget Approval infographic: "The Municipality of Bayham Asset Management Plan recommends increasing capital tax revenues by 4.9% each year for the next 25 years solely for the purpose of phasing in full funding to Capital Assets." In 2026 the Municipality increased the Capital Levy by $168,250.
18.32% to 12.84%General Government share, 2024 to 2026 budget summaries
Each year's budget summary lists how the budget is split between services. General Government (the town's own administration) is shown at 18.32% in 2024 and 12.84% in 2026. Capital Programs (repairs and new building) is shown at 25.23% in 2024 and 30.91% in 2026. By our own arithmetic, General Government dropped by 5.48 percentage points and Capital Programs rose by 5.68 (worked out by us).
Why it matters
A shift of this size changes where each tax dollar goes. It may reflect real choices (more for roads, less for administration), a change in how costs are grouped, or the end of the Ojibwa payments. Residents can only tell which if the town explains it.
It could be because…
The Ojibwa debt payments may have been counted under General Government or Capital in 2024 and ended after March 2025.
Staff may group costs differently from one year to the next, which would move shares between lines without any change in spending.
Capital Programs grew on purpose to follow the Asset Management Plan, so other shares shrink when shown as a percentage.
Questions you could ask
Did the 2026 budget group any costs differently from 2024? If so, which ones moved between General Government and other lines?
What dollar amounts do the General Government and Capital Programs percentages stand for in each year?
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 Bayham?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
2024 Budget Approval infographic, "Service Area Budget Allocation": General Government 18.32%; Capital Programs 25.23%.
$61,553.01surplus from the 2025 pilot, after expenses, as the town's highlights put it
In January 2025 staff proposed charging for parking at the East Beach so it would stop being paid for by the tax levy. Council approved a one-year pilot. In November 2025 the town said the program showed a net revenue of $99,806.47 and, "less expenses", a total of $61,553.01 to be surplus. Council made it permanent. The wording does not say whether $61,553.01 is the amount left after costs, so the cost side is unclear (our reading, worked out by us: costs of about $38,000 if so).
Why it matters
Paid parking is a new charge on beach visitors. Whether it covers its own costs, and what happens to the surplus, decides whether the tax levy still supports the beach.
It could be because…
The pilot was new, so staff costs and equipment may have been one-time and will not repeat.
Council set up a reserve for excess revenue at the start of the pilot, so the surplus may be saved for beach projects instead of being spent.
Staff said revenue was "above projection" part-way through the season, so the first full year may simply have beaten the forecast.
Questions you could ask
What were the pilot's total revenue, each cost and the surplus, as shown in the report to Council on November 20, 2025?
Where is the surplus held, and what will it be spent on?
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 Bayham?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Council Highlights, January 16, 2025: staff proposed $4 hourly and $20 daily charges that "would remove the East Beach fully from tax levy support". Council approved a one-year pilot with $4 hourly and $18 daily charges and a free beach permit for residents. "The pilot program will still have a levy component until a year's worth of results are collected" to confirm the best funding approach.
Council Highlights, August 21, 2025: "183 of the 198 tickets issued in the first half of 2025 were directly related to the Beach" and by-law staff "approved over 1100 seasonal parking passes". Fees were "currently above projection".
Council Highlights, November 20, 2025: the report on the pilot showed "a net revenue of $99,806.47 and less expenses, a total of $61,553.01 to be surplus". Council made the program permanent. A non-resident seasonal pass for Mondays to Thursdays was set at $72 plus HST and fees.
Bayham's Integrity Commissioner (who looks into complaints about council members' conduct) and its closed-meeting investigator are the same law firm. The town says their services "are billed back to the Municipality". On May 7, 2026, Council discussed the cost of investigations by provincially required bodies and passed a resolution to include that correspondence in future talks about services such as the Integrity Commissioner and in "office escalation policies". We did not find any yearly cost for these services in what we read.
Why it matters
Residents pay for these services, and they are one of the few ways to look into complaints about a council. A town may fairly want to control the cost. Residents should be able to see the cost, and to know whether the way they can make a complaint will change.
It could be because…
Controlling the cost of a service that the town must provide is an ordinary budget concern.
The highlights say many investigations "found the Municipality to be in compliance", which could be read as good news about the town.
The resolution only adds the correspondence to future talks. It does not on its face change the service.
Questions you could ask
How much was paid to the Integrity Commissioner and closed-meeting investigator in each of 2022 to 2025, and how many complaints were received and decided?
Is any change to the Integrity Commissioner agreement or to how residents make a complaint now proposed? Can the May 7, 2026 correspondence be published?
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 Bayham?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Council Highlights, May 7, 2026, "Transparency and Related Cost Controls": a piece of correspondence started a discussion about "the cost of investigations conducted by provincially mandated entities and the extent to which those costs are ultimately paid by the rate payers". A resolution was passed "to include the correspondence as part of future discussions and negotiations for services such as the Integrity Commissioner, as well as in office escalation policies".
Accountability page: "Bayham's Integrity Commissioner is Aird & Berlis LLP." It says "the services provided by the Integrity Commissioner are billed back to the Municipality" and that the same firm "also acts as Bayham's Closed Meeting Investigator".
Over $465,000general reserve interest accrued on 2024 investments, per a report to Council
Reserves are savings the town sets aside for set purposes. On February 19, 2026, the town's highlights said some information on social media and in newspapers is "inaccurate and exaggerating the current reserves". We did not find a page that lists every reserve and its balance. The pieces we found: a report said over $465,000 in general reserve interest was accrued on 2024 investments, and in March 2025 two reserves were named at $222,399 (Fire) and $132,080 (Rate Stabilization).
Why it matters
If someone says reserves are large and the town says they are not, a plain list would settle it. The audited statements should also show reserves, but the copies posted are scanned pages that we could not read reliably.
It could be because…
Most reserves are committed to a purpose (roads, equipment, water), so a large total does not mean unspent money.
The claims the town describes may mix reserves with other funds, such as money held for others or for water systems.
Reserves can change a lot during a year (for example, the Guarantorship Reserve was used to retire the Ojibwa debt in March 2025).
Questions you could ask
Can the town publish a list of every reserve and reserve fund with its balance at December 31, 2025, and what each is for?
What did the 2025 Treasurer's report on investments show for interest earned in 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 Bayham?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Council Highlights, February 20, 2025: the Treasurer's report "identified that over $465,000 in general reserve interest was accrued, which added significant revenue to the Municipality".
Council Highlights, March 20, 2025: Council authorized buying breathing apparatus in one year, with extra funds as needed from the Fire Reserve $222,399 and Rate Stabilization Reserve $132,080, and said a transfer back is expected in the 2026 budget.
Council Highlights, February 19, 2026: "the Municipality is in a strong position and making a concerted effort to control tax rates", but "there is some information circulating on social media as well as in the newspapers that is inaccurate and exaggerating the current reserves". Council created an Information Technology Reserve.
10.33% to 1.75%tax rate increase approved for 2024, then for 2026
The town's yearly budget summaries show very different tax rate increases. 2024 was 10.33%. The 2025 budget was set at a 6% levy increase, which the town says meant about 3.5% on the average tax rate. 2026 was 1.75%. The town gives reasons for the change: slower building in 2023 and fast building in 2024 and 2025, which gave it more properties to tax.
Why it matters
A tax rate is the rate applied to each property's assessed value. When many new homes are built, the same costs are shared by more properties, so the rate can rise less. Residents should know how much of a low increase is growth and how much is spending choices or timing.
It could be because…
The town says building and development growth gave it a bigger assessment base in 2024 and 2025, which "contributed to" the lower 2026 increase.
The 2024 increase carried the extra levy for paying off the Ojibwa debt, which finished in March 2025.
A tax rate increase and the total dollars the town asks for are different things. In 2026 the total dollars (notional value) rose 3.67% while the rate rose 1.75%, which fits growth in the number of properties.
Questions you could ask
How much of the lower 2026 increase comes from new properties joining the tax roll, and how much from changes to spending?
What was the final tax rate change for 2025, as printed in a town document?
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 Bayham?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
2024 Budget Approval infographic: Council approved the 2024 budget on March 5, 2024 "with a 10.33% Tax Rate increase over 2023". It says "In 2023, the Municipality of Bayham experienced slower building and development growth, which contributed to the tax rate increase."
News post of March 28, 2025: Council approved the 2025 Operating Budget with a 6% tax levy increase, "which means the average resident will see a 3.5% increase to their tax rate in 2025".
2026 Budget Approval infographic: Council approved the 2026 budget on January 6, 2026 "with a 1.75% Tax Rate increase over 2025. The Notional Value increase of the 2026 budget is 3.67% over 2025." It says "In 2024 and 2025, the Municipality of Bayham again was subject to significant building and development growth."
Twice the costwhat the Council Highlights say paper ballots cost compared with the staff recommendation
In spring 2025 the Clerk gave Council a report on how to run the October 26, 2026 election. The report recommended internet and telephone voting. Council deferred it once to ask for more information. On May 1, 2025, Council rejected that option and chose traditional paper ballots, which the town's highlights say cost "twice the recommended option". The town says it will use in-person paper ballots.
Why it matters
The method costs real money and decides how easy it is to vote. Residents should see the cost figures and the reasons.
It could be because…
Many councils and residents trust paper ballots and hand counts more than online voting.
Council may have judged that internet and telephone voting would not reach all residents, such as people with poor internet.
Council asked for more information before deciding, which suggests the choice was considered, not rushed.
Questions you could ask
What were the estimated dollar costs of each voting method in the Clerk's report?
How did each member of Council vote on the paper-ballot motion, as recorded in the minutes of May 1, 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 Bayham?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Council Highlights, April 17, 2025: "While the Report recommended a shift to internet/telephone voting, Council opted to defer the Report to May 1, 2025 meeting, wishing to seek additional information prior to making a decision."
Council Highlights, May 1, 2025: staff "recommended proceeding with internet/telephone voting in 2026 to improve election accessibility and reduce overall costs". Council "passed a motion to proceed with traditional paper ballots again in 2026 at a cost of twice the recommended option."
Council Highlights, August 21, 2025: a request to reconsider the method of vote was deferred. It notes "Council defeated a motion on internet and telephone voting and instead proceeded with traditional paper ballot, hand-count, as in previous elections."
The elections page says "The Municipality of Bayham will continue to use the In-Person Paper Ballot method." Advance voting runs October 17 to 24, 2026 and Election Day is Monday, October 26, 2026.
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