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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Carling'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.
Ontario / CarlingUpdated Oct 7, 2026

Your town, in plain words

How Carling uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Carling's budget, taxes and council decisions. A small lakeside township in the District of Parry Sound, with a mayor and four councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Your typical 2024 property tax bill$4,101on a $560K home79% Town21% SchoolsSee your tax bill explained →
Town spending, 2024$6.1MAbout $3,298 per household, up 0.8% from 2023.See the money →
Property tax change+5.7%Carling's own property tax came to $6.5M in 2024, against $6.1M in 2023.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Running the town office$1.3M · 21%
Police, fire and safety$1.3M · 21%
Roads and snow$1.3M · 21%
Social services$586K · 10%
Show all 8 servicesShow fewer
Water, sewers and garbage$515K · 8%
Health$438K · 7%
Parks, arena and library$409K · 7%
Planning and business$231K · 4%

Day-to-day spending in 2024, from Carling's report to the Province.

A fair comparisonHow does Carling compare?Among 40 similar Ontario towns, Carling's day-to-day spending per household is on the low side.Carling is here · 6 of 40, lowest to highestCompare Carling →

Questions worth asking

A closer look at the numbers.

Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.

All 10 questions
Worth askingRising costs

What is the $4,863,616 of unfinished construction on the books, when the 2025 budget planned $991,400 of capital spending?

$4,863,616assets under construction at December 31, 2025, against $991,400 of capital planned in the 2025 budget

The 2025 statements show the Township bought or built $4,406,448 of long-lived assets (capital) in 2025, of which $3,573,808 was added to "Assets under construction", a total that reached $4,863,616 at year end. The statements say the budget planned capital spending of $991,400. The fire hall, the largest project, is budgeted in 2026 ("Fire" capital of $4,160,608), and the project sheet says its spending was expected in 2026. Money owed to suppliers also rose, from $1,332,263 to $2,480,774. The statements do not say which projects are in the construction total.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources

Worth askingMoney health

How much could the Township owe for the shared swimming pool and recreation centre if the joint board cannot pay its loan?

$1,549,180the most the Township has guaranteed on the recreation centre's line of credit

Carling pays 10.5% of the costs of the West Parry Sound Recreation and Cultural Centre (the Tamarack North Centre), built by six municipalities together. In 2025 the joint board took out a line of credit (a bank loan it can draw on) of up to $13,500,000. The Township is a guarantor, meaning it promises to pay if the board cannot, for up to $1,549,180. By December 31, 2025 the board had drawn $2,517,000, and the Township shows $264,285 of it as its own share of borrowing. The board's own figures show its net financial assets (what it holds minus what it owes) fell from $5,449,457 to $(127,891). The Township says the project is expected to come in within its approved budget.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources

Worth askingMoney health

Why is the roads reserve at about half its target, with no new money planned for it in 2026, ahead of a large road project?

$1,021,855.02roads reserve at December 31, 2025, against a $2,000,000 target

A reserve is money set aside for a future purpose. The Township's schedule gives the Roads Capital Reserve a target of $2,000,000 and an estimated balance of $1,021,855.02 at December 31, 2025. The 2025 budget planned to add $1,000,000 to it; the 2026 budget plans to add nothing and to take out $140,000. The Township says a significant road project on Bayview Road and Carling Bay Road East is expected within the next two years, and that it is in a strong financial position to manage it. Across all reserves in the schedule, the total falls by about $1,362,870 in 2026 (worked out by us), as the fire department and Henvey Inlet reserves are used up.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources

Show 6 more questionsShow fewer
Good to knowOpenness

Why were the 2025 audited statements not signed until October 2, 2026, nine months after the year ended?

October 2, 2026date of the auditor's report on the 2025 statements

Audited statements are the Township's yearly accounts, checked by an outside auditor. The auditor's report on the 2025 statements is dated October 2, 2026, nine months after the year ended on December 31, 2025. The report on the 2024 statements is dated December 19, 2025. The Township says staff give information to the auditors to prepare the statements and the yearly return to the Province. We did not find a reason for the timing.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources

Good to knowMoney health

What explains provincial grants coming in $741,686 above the 2025 budget?

$2,059,172provincial grants in 2025, against a budget of $1,317,486

The 2025 budget counted on $1,317,486 of provincial grants. The audited statements show $2,059,172, which is $741,686 more (worked out by us). More money than planned is not a problem in itself. The statements do not say which grants made up the difference. We did not find the Township's own explanation.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources

Good to knowRising costs

Is the landfill's closure cost why environmental services cost $630,411 against a budget of $419,623?

$247,783landfill accretion expense in 2025, against $129,346 in 2024

Environmental services (waste sites and related work) cost $630,411 in 2025 against a budget of $419,623. The notes show a charge of $247,783 in 2025 for landfill closure and care, up from $129,346 the year before. This is a non-cash accounting charge (accretion expense): the estimated future cost grows a little each year as it is counted. Taking it out would leave $382,628 (worked out by us), below the budget. We think this is mostly accounting rather than overspending, though we could not tell from the budget whether the charge was planned.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources

Good to knowRising costs

Why does the 2026 budget raise contracted services by $174,100, and is the Township's explanation enough?

$174,100increase in contracted services, 2025 budget to 2026 budget

Contracted services (work done by outside firms) rise from $423,100 to $597,200 in the 2026 budget, up $174,100. The Township explains the main parts: landfill mining of construction waste ($85k), rock blasting for ditch work ($50k) and road crack sealing ($25k), which add to $160,000 (worked out by us) of the $164,600 rise in operational services. We have no further question about the amount, only about whether these are one-time or yearly costs.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources

Good to knowOpenness

Where is the Mayor and Council expenses statement for 2025?

2023 and 2024the only years listed on the Township's page

The Township posts a yearly statement of what each member of Council was paid and what expenses were paid to them. The budget and financial statements page lists one for 2023 and one for 2024. On October 7, 2026 we did not find one for 2025. We did not fill in the pay table in this pack because the text of the posted statements prints names and amounts in separate blocks that we could not match line by line.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source

2024 tax year · Carling, Ontario

Your tax bill, worked out.

Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what Carling's share pays for.

Ontario still uses property values from January 1, 2016 for tax, so your assessed value is probably well below what your home would sell for today.

It is on your property assessment notice from MPAC, and on your tax bill. We filled in the typical value in Carling.

Source

a year in property tax, at 2024 rates

  • Carling
  • Schools

Carling council sets only its own share. the Province sets the school rate.

See what your Carling share pays forHide the breakdown

Roughly what your Carling share pays for

Source
  • Running the town office
  • Roads and snow
  • Police, fire and safety
  • Social services
  • Water, sewers and garbage
  • Health
  • Parks, arena and library
  • Planning and business

An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Carling's share by what each service cost in 2024 after its own fees and grants (for example, water bills pay for much of a water system). Real bills also depend on your property class, local charges and any rebates.

  • Every fact, sourced

    Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.

  • No accusations

    We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.

  • Compared fairly

    Towns are only compared with places of a similar size and kind, from the same yearly reports.

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