Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to Cavan Monaghan's budget, taxes and council decisions. A township in the County of Peterborough, Ontario, with a mayor, a deputy mayor and three ward councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
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Questions worth asking
Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.
+82%parks, arena and library, 2019 to 2024
Cavan Monaghan spent $894K on parks, arena and library in 2019 and $1.6M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 5 of 90 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
$320,000of OLG slot revenue in the 2026 budget, after an announced March 2026 end to operations at Kawartha Downs
The Township gets a share of the money from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) slot machines in the township. It took in $307,769 in 2024 and $330,078 in 2023. The audited statements say OLG announced it would stop operating at Kawartha Downs in March 2026 and that this will affect future revenue. The 2026 budget, approved on February 2, 2026, still lists $320,000 of OLG revenue for 150 slots, and the budget shows the same $320,000 going to a reserve loan. We did not read anything dated after February 2026 that says whether the slots closed or whether the budget was changed.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$15,129,780unfunded capital at December 31, 2024 (2023: $5,398,882)
Capital means roads, buildings and other things that last for years. At the end of 2024 the Township had spent $15,129,780 on capital projects that no money was yet set aside for, up from $5,398,882 a year earlier. The largest piece is $6,333,724 under "Protection", up from $104,129. The Township spent $13,010,583 on capital in 2024 and its cash fell from $21,987,607 to $15,556,342. The statements say the unfunded amount "will be recovered from future development charges and other revenues". Development charges are fees on new buildings that help pay for the growth they cause. The 2026 budget has a "Fire Station #1 Loan" line that rose from $188,000 to $250,300, while the statements show no debt except water and wastewater debt.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
14.17%rise in net protective services cost in the 2026 budget (2025: $1,149,305.00; 2026: $1,312,205.00)
The 2026 budget raised the municipal residential tax rate by 2.65%. The net cost of protective services (the fire department and its vehicles) goes from $1,149,305.00 in the 2025 approved budget to $1,312,205.00 in 2026, which is up 14.17%. Some lines rise a lot: fire communication by 51.88%, Fire Hall #1 by 95.19% and fire administration by 9.83%. Separately, the Township's "Fire Station #1 Loan" rises 33.14%. We did not find the budget explain these rises in the pages we read. The 2026 column is headed "Proposed Budget" in a document that says Council approved it, and its summary page is headed "Final Approved".
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$27,888,939of water and wastewater capital requests in the 2026 budget
The 2026 budget lists $27,888,939 of water and wastewater capital requests. $9,340,579 of that is pre-approved for future years. The largest line, "Water Storage Pipe and Distribution Future Capital (2027-2028)", is $17,079,500 and carries a grant label. A separate $3,375,000 grant application for the Tupper Street pumping station is listed as pending. At the end of 2024 the Township's development charges reserve fund held $504,579 and its long-term debt was $6,359,871, all in water and wastewater. The budget does show a funding column for each project, but we did not match the columns to rows because the table does not line up in the text version.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
+77%running the town office, 2019 to 2024
Cavan Monaghan spent $1.6M on running the town office in 2019 and $2.8M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 12 of 90 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
$3.2Mowed in unpaid property tax, end of 2024
At the end of 2024, $3.2M of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 15% of everything billed. Only 3 of 90 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $3.1M.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$30,920,942in reserves at December 31, 2024, against $15,556,342 in cash
Reserves are amounts Council sets aside for later costs, such as replacing trucks or buildings. The audited statements list $30,920,942 in reserves, including $22,560,413 for future capital. The same statements show cash of $15,556,342 and investments of $1,270,739, which we added to $16,827,081 (worked out by us). Reserves are bookkeeping labels on the Township's savings, not separate bank accounts, and money set aside can already have been spent on buildings and roads. We are not saying anything is missing. We are asking how much of each reserve is actually in the bank.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$211,360of development charges earned in 2024, against a budgeted $4,135,415
The 2024 budget in the audited statements listed $4,135,415 of "Development charges earned". The actual figure was $211,360. The annual surplus was $3,338,610 against a budgeted $4,870,714. The Township has explained part of this: the statements say development charges are counted as revenue only when the related spending is recorded, and that the budget shown in the statements is adjusted from the budget Council approved. In 2024 capital purchases were $13,010,583, below the $15,344,128 budgeted, so less of the money was drawn.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
2024 tax year · Cavan Monaghan, Ontario
Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what Cavan Monaghan'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 Cavan Monaghan.
a year in property tax, at 2024 rates
Cavan Monaghan council sets only its own share. County or region sets its share, the Province sets the school rate.
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Cavan Monaghan'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.
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Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.
We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.
Towns are only compared with places of a similar size and kind, from the same yearly reports.
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