Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Carleton Place 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

• MayorToby Randell
• Deputy MayorAndrew Tennant
• CouncillorLinda Seccaspina
• CouncillorJeff Atkinson
• CouncillorDena Comley
• CouncillorSarah Cavanagh
• CouncillorMark Hinton

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

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 Treasurer's 2024 report under section 284 of the Municipal Act, dated March 25, 2025. The table prints honorarium, per diem, benefit and expenses for each member, a total remuneration for each member and an overall total of $254,331.35. We checked that each row adds up to the printed total. 'pay' here is honorarium plus per diem, and 'other' is benefits plus expenses, both worked out by us from the printed columns. Outside-board pay is reported separately and is not included. We did not find a 2025 report.

• Partly
  Budgets posted online

  The Town posts a 2026 Budget Highlights sheet, the November 13, 2025 overview slides (marked "1st Draft"), and the 2026 ten-year capital plan. We did not find a full adopted 2026 budget book on the page we read. Source

• Yes
  Audited financial statements

  Statements for 2017 to 2025 are posted. The 2025 statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") from Welch LLP dated June 9, 2026. They say the 2024 statements were audited by another auditor, who gave an unmodified opinion on May 12, 2025. Source

• Partly
  Council pay and expenses (s. 284)

  The 2024 report (dated March 25, 2025) and its appendices are posted. We did not find a 2025 report on the council page. The Municipal Act asks for it by March 31 each year. Source

• Partly
  Meeting agendas and minutes

  Agendas for September 22, 2026 are on the council meetings page, and there is an agendas and minutes library. We did not read any minutes. The Town says archived meeting video starts on August 12, 2025. Source

• Unknown
  Integrity Commissioner and closed meeting reports

  The Town names an Integrity Commissioner but we did not find any reports from that office. Source

• Town of Carleton Place on YouTube

  The Town links this channel from its council meetings page. It says archived video of Council meetings is posted there, beginning on August 12, 2025. We did not watch the videos.

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

• Funding plan for the water and wastewater plant expansions

  Note 15(i) of the 2025 statements shows $139,000,000 committed. The ten-year capital plan lists $40,000,000 and $73,000,000. A funding plan shows how the cost is split. Related question: How will the Town pay for the $139,000,000 water and wastewater plant expansions?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the most recent report to Council or to the Treasurer that sets out the expected funding sources (grants, development charges, borrowing and water and sewer rates) for the Water Treatment Plant Expansion and the Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion, and the contracts that make up the $139,000,000 commitment in note 15(i) of the 2025 financial statements.

  Copy the wording

• Development charge deferral agreements

  Note 7 says the Town let developers defer $1,095,180 (2025) and $1,200,044 (2024) of development charges, with interest. Related question: Why did the development charges balance fall from $8,384,247 to $830,431 in one year, and why can builders pay later?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the Town's schedule of deferred development charge agreements at December 31, 2025, showing for each the date, amount deferred, interest rate, repayment dates and amount outstanding, and the by-law or Council resolution that authorized deferrals.

  Copy the wording

• List of 2026 grants to others in the budget

  The draft 2026 budget shows $494,800 of additional affordable housing and heritage grants to others. Related question: What is in the $494,800 of extra housing and heritage grants in the draft 2026 budget, and how much of it do taxpayers fund?.

  Show the request wordingHide the wording

  Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, I request the list of grants to others in the adopted 2026 operating budget, showing each recipient, amount and funding source, including the line described as "Additional Affordable Housing and Heritage Grants to Others" of $494,800 in the November 13, 2025 draft.

  Copy the wording

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

1. Integrity Commissioner

   The Town says its Code of Conduct for Council is administered and enforced by an independent Integrity Commissioner, and that complaints go through the Clerk. We did not find any Integrity Commissioner reports on the pages we read.

2. Conflict of Interest Registry

   The Town's council page points to a Conflict of Interest Registry. We did not read the registry itself.

3. Mayoral Decisions

   Under the strong mayor rules, the mayor has to put decisions made with those powers in writing and make them public. The Town posts them on one page. We read three, dated August 21, 2025, October 15, 2025 and November 20, 2025.