Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to Clearview's budget, taxes and council decisions. A rural township in Simcoe County, around Stayner and Creemore, with a mayor, a deputy mayor and five ward councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
Follow Clearview in one tapWhere it goes
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.
$9.5Min savings at the end of 2023
Towns keep savings (called reserves) to pay for new trucks, roof repairs and surprises. Clearview had $9.5M saved at the end of 2023, down from $13.4M in 2019. That is 37% of one year's spending. Only 2 of 85 similar towns had less, compared with what they spend.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$124per home on council, 2023
Clearview spent about $124 per home on council in 2023. The typical similar town spent $49. Only 7 of 85 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
$75,672,503total of loans owing and planned, in the 2026 budget's loan table
The 2026 budget lists $75,672,503 in loans, counting both money already owed and loans planned for later. Four of the loans start in 2026 or later and together come to $55,575,000 (worked out by us from the table). The budget says 53.1% of loan payments will come from development charges, which are fees developers pay when they build new homes. It also says substantial development is on hold until water servicing is solved, and that growth-driven projects will not go ahead if the growth does not happen.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$35,000,000planned loan for the Stayner Water Solution, beside a $35 million Province fund for the same area's water project
The budget says the Province announced a $35 million fund that will go toward the Klondike Park Road water solution. The capital table for water projects has two Klondike Park Road lines worth $36,562,030 and $22,896,907 and a grants subtotal of 35,000,000. The loan table also lists a separate $35,000,000 "Stayner Water Solution" loan starting in 2027. The pages we read do not say whether the loan and the grant are two sources for one project or two layers of the same money.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$134 milliontotal budget in the adopted package, against $140.7 million in the staff-presented summary
The adopted budget package says the total 2026 budget is $134 million, with an operating budget of $21.41 million (16%) and a capital budget of $103.9 million (84%). The staff-presented summary says $140.7 million, with operating at $36.8 million (26%) and capital at $103.9 million (74%). The two documents also give a different net residential tax increase (2.09% against 2.06%) and a different property tax total ($23.8 million against $24.9 million). Adding the package's own operating and capital figures gives $125.31 million, not $134 million (worked out by us).
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$6,215,676Administration total expenses in 2024, against a budget of $4,244,545
The 2026 budget shows the Administration department's 2024 budget and what it actually recorded. Total expenses were $4,244,545 budgeted and $6,215,676 actual, a gap of $1,971,131 (worked out by us). Transfers to reserves, which are savings set aside for later, were budgeted at $561,000 and came in at $2,009,505. The insurance line was budgeted at $97,025 and came in at $379,350 in 2024. For 2025 it was budgeted at $104,627 and shows $708,030 as at June 30. The 2026 budget for it is $44,669.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$3,610,659owing on the 7308 Highway 26 purchase loan, January 2026
The loan table lists a $3,610,659 loan for 7308 Highway 26, borrowed in 2025 and paid off in 2045, with the note "Purchase Price". In the 2026 Administration budget, one expense line reads "Stayner Care Centre & Brock St Loan" at 280,000, and one revenue line reads "Fund 7308 Hwy 26 from Affordable Housing Reserve" at 280,000. The pages we read do not say what the property is for or how the two lines connect.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
2020year of the newest council pay statement we found on the Finance page
The Finance Reports & Statements page lists a yearly Statement of Remuneration and Expenses for 2014 through 2020. We did not find a statement for 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025 on that page. The 2020 statement is the newest posted. Because of this, no council pay table is in this pack.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
+90%roads and snow, 2019 to 2023
Clearview spent $4.0M on roads and snow in 2019 and $7.5M in 2023. Prices only went up about 16% in that time.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
+53%water, sewers and garbage, 2019 to 2023
Clearview spent $2.8M on water, sewers and garbage in 2019 and $4.2M in 2023. Prices only went up about 16% in that time.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$4.1Mowed in unpaid property tax, end of 2023
At the end of 2023, $4.1M of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 13% of everything billed. Only 3 of 85 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $2.9M.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
February 7, 2026date the 2026 budget was adopted, 30 days after the Mayor presented it
Under the Province's strong mayor powers, which reached Clearview on May 1, 2025, the Mayor presents the budget and Council has 30 days to amend it. The Township's timeline says staff presented a proposed budget on November 17 and 18, 2025, the Mayor presented a proposed budget on January 8, 2026, and the budget was adopted on February 7, 2026. The budget page lists the timeline, a staff-presented summary and the final package. We did not find a separate document for the Mayor's version, or a record on the strong mayor page of what changed.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
28 pagesof scanned pictures in the 2024 audited statements file
The 2023 and 2024 audited statements are posted as PDFs in which every page is one scanned picture, with a text layer made by character recognition. In our reading, the text of the money tables was scrambled, so figures cannot be reliably searched, copied or read by a screen reader.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$226per home on snow ploughing, 2023
Clearview spent about $226 per home on snow ploughing in 2023. The typical similar town spent $88. Only 1 of 85 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
2023 tax year · Clearview, Ontario
Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what Clearview'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 Clearview.
a year in property tax, at 2023 rates
Clearview 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 Clearview's share by what each service cost in 2023 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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