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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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

Your town, in plain words

How Cochrane uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Cochrane's budget, taxes and council decisions. A town in Northeastern Ontario, on Highway 11 in the Cochrane District, with a mayor and six councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Your typical 2024 property tax bill$2,473on a $130K home92% Town8% SchoolsSee your tax bill explained →
Town spending, 2024$18.7MAbout $6,984 per household, up 3.4% from 2023.See the money →
Property tax change+6.2%Cochrane's own property tax came to $9.3M in 2024, against $8.7M in 2023.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Parks, arena and library$3.4M · 18%
Roads and snow$3.3M · 18%
Social services$2.8M · 15%
Water, sewers and garbage$2.8M · 15%
Show all 8 servicesShow fewer
Running the town office$2.7M · 14%
Police, fire and safety$2.3M · 12%
Health$798K · 4%
Planning and business$531K · 3%

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

A fair comparisonHow does Cochrane compare?Among 24 similar Ontario towns, Cochrane's day-to-day spending per household is on the high side.Cochrane is here · 17 of 24, lowest to highestCompare Cochrane →

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 askingMoney health

Why does the Town's own plan say it pays for about a quarter of what its roads, pipes and buildings need each year?

$8.75 milliona year: the funding gap the Town's own plan estimates

The Town's 2025 Asset Management Plan estimates that replacing everything the Town owns would cost $467,419,280. It says the Town needs to put in $11,911,920 a year to keep these assets going, and has about $3.16 million a year from sources it can count on (the tax levy, water and sewer rates, and two grant programs). The plan calls the difference a funding gap of about $8.75 million a year. The Town has told residents this itself, which is good. The open question is how the Town plans to close the gap, and how much of it falls on taxes.

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

Worth askingMoney health

How close did the Town plan to come to its own debt limit, and why does it say its savings are low for its debt?

9 to 10%borrowing ratio expected by the end of 2024, against a policy limit of 10%

The Town's 2024 budget report says the Town expected its borrowing ratio (the share of its revenue that goes to paying debt) to reach 9 to 10% by the end of 2024. Its own debt policy says it should not go above 10%. The report also says that, compared with similar-sized towns, Cochrane has a high debt burden per household and a low reserve fund (savings set aside) per household, and assumes borrowing $3M a year in 2024 and 2025.

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

Worth askingRising costs

What drove the 9.8% tax rate increase in the Town's 2025 budget?

9.8%tax rate increase in the 2025 budget, as the Town's summary prints it

The Town's one-page summary of its 2025 budget shows a tax rate increase of 9.8%, with gross revenues and gross expenditures both $19,151,995. The summary splits the increase into two parts, a paving plan and municipal operations. We could not read the full 2025 budget book, because it is a scan, so we cannot say which lines grew.

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

Worth askingHow decisions are made

Why did council discuss in private how to hire a new integrity commissioner, when the Ombudsman says that should have been public?

February 13, 2024closed session where the Ombudsman found the talk about the hiring process should have been public

On February 13, 2024, council went into closed session and discussed its integrity commissioner (the person who handles code of conduct complaints about members). The Ombudsman of Ontario, who investigates closed meetings for the Town, found that part of the talk about the commissioner could be private. But the Ombudsman found that council broke the open meeting rules when it discussed the steps for hiring a replacement in private. After returning to open session council passed a public resolution to seek a replacement.

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

Show 6 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingHow decisions are made

What has the Town's housing incentive of $10 lots and phased tax rebates cost, after being first discussed in closed sessions?

$10 per lotthe price council directed the Town to offer new lots to housing developers

In October 2023, council twice discussed a plan to offer Town-owned lots to home builders at $10 per lot, with property tax rebates that phase out over six years. It did so in closed session, citing the exception for buying or selling land. The Ombudsman found the cited exception did not fit, but that another one (plans for negotiations with outside companies) did, so he found no breach. The program was made public at the May 14, 2024 meeting. We did not find a published figure for how many lots have been sold or what the rebates have cost.

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

Worth askingRising costs

Why did the cost of running the town office grow 44% in 5 years?

+44%running the town office, 2019 to 2024

Cochrane spent $1.9M on running the town office in 2019 and $2.7M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 3 of 23 similar towns had faster growth here.

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

Good to knowRising costs

Why did the Town's payments to outside bodies for 2024 rise so much more than the year before?

$195,673the Town says 2024 payments to outside bodies rose, against the 2023 budget

The 2024 budget report says the Town's yearly payments to the OPP, the district social services board, MPAC (property assessment) and the health unit came in 38.6% higher than the 2023 budget, or $195,673. The Town lists each piece. This is a case where the Town has explained the rise, and most of it is outside the Town's control.

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

Good to knowRising costs

Why did the Town budget $284,142 for studies and professional fees in 2024, including three times as much for its integrity commissioner?

$60,000budgeted in 2024 for the integrity commissioner, against $20,000 the year before

The 2024 budget report identifies $284,142 of one-time studies, plans and outside help. Most is paid from reserves. It budgets $60,000 for the integrity commissioner, up from $20,000 in the 2023 budget, which the Town says follows what the office actually cost the year before. The Town has given its reason, so we have set this as context.

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

Good to knowOpenness

Where are the Town's council pay statements for 2024 and 2025?

2023the newest council pay statement we found on the Town's council page

The Municipal Act requires the treasurer to publish, each year, a statement of what each member of council was paid and what expenses were paid for the year before. On October 7, 2026, the Town's council page listed the statement for 2023 as the newest, marked "Updated: October 18, 2024". We did not find statements for 2024 or 2025 there.

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

2024 tax year · Cochrane, 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 Cochrane'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 Cochrane.

Source

a year in property tax, at 2024 rates

  • Cochrane
  • Schools

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

See what your Cochrane share pays forHide the breakdown

Roughly what your Cochrane share pays for

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

An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Cochrane'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 Cochrane's council · Council Books is free and paid for by readers: support this work.