Council BooksChatham-KentOntarioSign inSubscribe
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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Chatham-Kent'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 / Chatham-KentUpdated Oct 5, 2026

Your town, in plain words

How Chatham-Kent uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Chatham-Kent's budget, taxes and council decisions. A single-tier municipality in southwestern Ontario with a mayor and 17 councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Your typical 2024 property tax bill$2,515on a $150K home91% Town9% SchoolsSee your tax bill explained →
Town spending, 2024$389MAbout $7,827 per household, up 5.4% from 2023.See the money →
Property tax change+7.7%Chatham-Kent's own property tax came to $208M in 2024, against $193M in 2023.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Social services$106M · 27%
Police, fire and safety$61.6M · 16%
Running the town office$55.3M · 14%
Roads and snow$45M · 12%
Show all 9 servicesShow fewer
Water, sewers and garbage$44.3M · 11%
Health$29.3M · 8%
Parks, arena and library$22.9M · 6%
Housing$16.5M · 4%
Planning and business$7.5M · 2%

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

A fair comparisonHow does Chatham-Kent compare?Among 11 similar Ontario towns, Chatham-Kent's day-to-day spending per household is near the middle.Chatham-Kent is here · 5 of 11, lowest to highestCompare Chatham-Kent →

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 11 questions
Worth askingMoney health

Why did Chatham-Kent finish 2025 with a surplus twice as big as budgeted, two years running?

$75,323,759surplus in 2025, against a budgeted $36,155,552

A surplus is what is left when a year's revenue is more than its spending. The 2025 budget planned for a surplus of $36,155,552. The audited statements show $75,323,759. The year before showed the same pattern: a budgeted $24,572,100 and an actual $74,931,420. Part of the gap is interest earned on savings. The investment income line was budgeted at the same $5,706,000 in both years, and earned $16,342,430 and then $20,941,939.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources

Worth askingRising costs

Why were transportation, recreation and environmental services so far from their 2025 budgets?

$15,148,665transportation spending above budget in 2025 ($74,337,726 against $59,189,061)

The audited statements compare each service's actual cost with its budget. Transportation services (roads, bridges, transit) cost $74,337,726 against a budget of $59,189,061. Recreation and cultural services cost $41,321,654 against $29,917,630. Environmental services (water, wastewater, waste) cost $65,198,335 against $88,639,036, well under budget. The same three lines were off in the same directions in 2024.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources

Worth askingRising costs

Salaries and benefits rose by about 10.7% in 2025. How does that fit with a workforce that "has grown by one tax-funded position per year"?

$199,957,915salaries and benefits in 2025 ($180,695,977 in 2024)

The audited statements show salaries and benefits of $199,957,915 in 2025, up from $180,695,977 in 2024, about 10.7% more. In its 2026 budget presentation, the Municipality says its workforce has grown by one tax-funded position per year, adding 10.34 full-time employees from 2018 to 2027, excluding Police Services and Pathways on Park staffing. The two numbers are not about the same thing, so they do not conflict. But the presentation does not explain the 2025 increase.

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

Worth askingMoney health

Why did the reserve for buying capital assets fall by about $44 million in 2025?

$105,201,774capital asset reserve at the end of 2025 ($149,414,236 a year earlier)

A reserve is money set aside for later. The reserve "for acquisition of tangible capital assets" (roads, buildings, vehicles) held $149,414,236 at the end of 2024 and $105,201,774 at the end of 2025. Reserves in total fell from $330,611,473 to $292,862,546. At the same time, cash rose by about $64.8 million, to $198,019,189.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources

Show 7 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingRising costs

Why did the cost of running the town office grow 63% in 5 years?

+63%running the town office, 2019 to 2024

Chatham-Kent spent $34M on running the town office in 2019 and $55.3M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 2 of 10 similar towns had faster growth here.

Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources

Worth askingRising costs

Why did the cost of roads and snow grow 58% in 5 years?

+58%roads and snow, 2019 to 2024

Chatham-Kent spent $28.4M on roads and snow in 2019 and $45M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 0 of 10 similar towns had faster growth here.

Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources

Good to knowMoney health

Why does Chatham-Kent hold $198 million in cash and $239.5 million in investments while it still owes $13.2 million?

$13.2 milliondebt outstanding at December 31, 2025, per the Municipality's own fact sheet

The Municipality holds $198,019,189 in cash and $239,542,538 in investments, and also has long-term debt that its own fact sheet puts at $13.2 million. The Municipality has already answered this: it says it follows a "pay-as-you-go" approach, that borrowing is mainly from Infrastructure Ontario at low rates, and that these loans cannot be paid off early. It also says debt will fall to $1.1 million by December 31, 2031, if no new debt is approved, and that large borrowing is expected in the 2027 to 2030 term for water and wastewater work and for housing and a fire station.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources

Good to knowHow decisions are made

How did the 2026 tax increase come down to 4.63%, and what did the provincial funding cap add?

$19.3Mgap between OCIF funding Chatham-Kent should receive in 2026 ($29.3M) and the cap ($10M)

The Municipality says it should receive $29.3M in 2026 from the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF), a provincial grant for roads and bridges, but is capped at $10M. That leaves a $19.3M gap, which adds 2.00% to the tax increase. The staff proposal was a 4.92% increase. Council recommended 4.63%. The Municipality says staff found $9,056,307 in efficiencies. We could not read the budget minutes to see the amendments from 4.92% to 4.63%.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources

Good to knowMoney health

What does Chatham-Kent get from its 71.49% stake in the electricity company Entegrus Inc.?

$4,146,420dividends received from Entegrus in 2025, against $8,180,557 of income counted from it

The Municipality owns 71.49% of Entegrus Inc., which distributes electricity in Chatham-Kent, Middlesex and Elgin. The audited statements show the stake at $62,066,568. In 2025 the Municipality counted $8,180,557 of income from it, but the cash it received in dividends was $4,146,420. The Municipality's own statements explain the gap: income from Entegrus is the Municipality's share of profit, and only the dividend is cash.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources

Good to knowOpenness

What has the Integrity Commissioner told council about conduct complaints, and where is the 2025 report?

$39,698.44paid for Integrity Commissioner services from November 26, 2023 to December 31, 2024

The Integrity Commissioner (an outside contractor) handles complaints that a member of council broke the Code of Conduct. The only annual report we found, for November 26, 2023 to December 31, 2024, says there were 3 formal complaints and all were dismissed, and that the office cost $39,698.44. It also says 2 members of council did not reply to a request for a one-on-one meeting about the Code. We did not find a report for 2025, when the appointment ran out on November 26, 2025.

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

2024 tax year · Chatham-Kent, 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 Chatham-Kent'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 Chatham-Kent.

Source

a year in property tax, at 2024 rates

  • Chatham-Kent
  • Schools

Chatham-Kent council sets only its own share. the Province sets the school rate.

See what your Chatham-Kent share pays forHide the breakdown

Roughly what your Chatham-Kent share pays for

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

An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Chatham-Kent'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.

Council meetings are open to the public, and councillors answer to you. How to reach Chatham-Kent's council · Council Books is free and paid for by readers: support this work.