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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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.
Questions · 10 so far
Things worth asking about
We read Cochrane's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 23 similar Ontario towns. These are the things that stood out.
What these are, and what they are not. A question here means a number or practice is unusual, or harder to see than it should be. It does not mean anyone did anything wrong. Most unusual numbers turn out to have ordinary explanations, and every question lists some. The only way to know is to ask.
Worth asking
Worth asking
There may well be a good reason. It is still worth asking what it is.
$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
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
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
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
$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
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
$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
$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
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
$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.
Why it matters
Roads, water pipes and buildings wear out. When a town puts in less each year than they lose, the bill does not go away; it grows and lands later. A plan that names the gap lets residents ask what will be done about it before the next council sets its budgets.
It could be because…
The Town says condition data exists for only 55% of the assets; the rest was estimated from age, so the true need could be lower or higher.
Replacement cost is the cost to rebuild at today's prices. Many assets can be repaired, and not every asset has to be replaced on schedule.
Grants from other governments may cover part of the gap. The plan counts only funding it calls sustainable, so a one-time grant would not show.
A target of 2.5% is a planning target set by the Town, not a legal limit.
Questions you could ask
What yearly amount does the Town plan to put toward its assets over the next four years, and how does that compare with the $11,911,920 the plan says is needed?
How would closing part of the gap change the tax rate, and which assets would be done first?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Cochrane?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
"Based on historical trends, the Town has approximately $3.16 million in average annual available funding for capital projects and reserves." It adds that the Town funds approximately 27% of its annual capital requirements, "This leaves an estimated annual infrastructure funding gap of approximately $8.75 million."
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.
Why it matters
Debt is paid back from future taxes and fees. A town near its own limit has less room to handle a surprise, such as a failed road or a big repair. Saying so in the budget report is useful openness; residents can ask what the plan is now.
It could be because…
The report says about $6M of the 2024 capital budget was carried over from earlier years, because projects were delayed. Borrowing for those projects was already planned.
The report expected the ratio for 2022 and 2023 to be lower (7.76%), so the 2024 level may have been a peak.
Borrowing to build roads and pipes spreads the cost across the years the assets are used, which is a normal way to pay.
Questions you could ask
What was the Town's borrowing ratio at the end of 2024 and 2025, and how does it compare with the 10% policy limit?
Has the Town set a target for building up reserves, and what is the balance now?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Cochrane?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Long-Term Debt Analysis: "The current analysis is predicting the Town will reach a borrowing ratio (debt servicing costs/net revenue) of 9 to 10% by the end of 2024. According to our current debt management policy, we should not exceed 10%." It also says the Town "has a high debt burden per household and a low reserve fund per household" and assumes "borrowing $3M ($1.5M tax-based and $1.5M water-wastewater) annually in 2024 and 2025".
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.
Why it matters
A tax rate increase is the number residents feel directly. Whether it came from a plan voters saw (paving over seven years) or from the cost of running services decides what questions are fair.
It could be because…
The summary names a seven-year road paving plan as one part of the increase, so part of it was planned and visible.
A tax rate increase is not the same as a bill increase: assessed values and the mix of property types also matter.
Costs for outside bodies such as policing and social services rose in 2024 as well (see the finding on payments to outside bodies).
Questions you could ask
How many percentage points of the 9.8% came from the paving plan and how many from the cost of running services?
Will the Town post the 2026 budget and a readable copy of the 2025 budget book on its budget page?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Cochrane?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"2025 Budget at a Glance": "2025 Tax Rate Increase 9.8%"; "Gross Revenues $ 19,151,995 Gross Expenditures $19,151,995". The page also shows two labelled parts, "Roads Paving 7 Year Plan" and "Municipal Operations".
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.
Why it matters
The open meeting rules let councils go behind closed doors only for a short list of reasons. How a town picks the person who judges its members' conduct is a matter residents are entitled to hear discussed.
It could be because…
The Ombudsman says the discussion of the commissioner's own performance fit the exception for personal matters, so the meeting was not wrongly closed as a whole.
He notes that council passed its resolution in open session afterwards.
Councils often mix topics in one closed session without meaning to; the Ombudsman's report is how this was caught and corrected.
Questions you could ask
Did council change how it separates open and closed discussion after the Ombudsman's report?
Has the Town filled the integrity commissioner role through an open process, and where is that decision posted?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Cochrane?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Opinion: "However, council contravened the open meeting rules when it discussed in closed session the hiring process for a new integrity commissioner." The report says council "did not contravene the open meeting rules" when it discussed the integrity commissioner in closed session on February 13, 2024.
"However, council's discussion regarding the hiring process to replace the integrity commissioner does not qualify as personal information." Council's resolution, passed in open session, was to "go to market" for a replacement.
$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.
Why it matters
A plan that gives up land and future tax revenue is a real cost to every other taxpayer, even if the goal (new homes and jobs) is good. The Ombudsman cleared the closed sessions, so the open question is the result.
It could be because…
The Ombudsman says the Town was competing with other municipalities for a company's workforce move, which is a reason to keep negotiating positions private.
A rebate that starts at 0% tax and rises to 100% means the Town gives up taxes only in the early years, and only if homes get built.
New houses add to the tax base for the years after the rebate ends.
Questions you could ask
How many lots have been sold under the program, and how much in property tax rebates has the Town given or committed?
Where does the Town report on the program's results?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Cochrane?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Council discussed "an incentive program that would offer municipally owned land at a nominal fee with a property tax rebate". One proposal described was "charging 0% of the property tax in the first year, then increasing the property tax charged by 20% each year thereafter until reaching 100% of the tax rate." The program was unveiled at council's May 14, 2024 meeting.
Resolution passed in open session: "Council direct the Town [to] identify and offer new residential lots for development at $10 per lot to housing developers". The Ombudsman's opinion: council "did not contravene the Municipal Act, 2001 on October 10 or October 16, 2023" because it could discuss the incentives under the exception for plans and instructions for negotiations.
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.
Why did the cost of running the town office grow 44% in 5 years?
Running the town office
Prices (inflation)
+0%+20%+40%+60%+80%+100%+120%
+44%
201920202021202220232024
Show as a table
Year
Running the town office
Prices (inflation)
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+9%
+1%
2021
+13%
+4%
2022
+108%
+11%
2023
+20%
+16%
2024
+44%
+18%
Change since the first year shown. The grey line is how much prices rose overall, for comparison.
Why it matters
Money spent running the office is money not spent on roads, water or safety. When office costs grow much faster than the services people see, it is fair to ask what the extra money is buying.
It could be because…
The town added a service, a building or staff that residents asked for.
Costs were moved from another area, so the total did not really change.
Accounting rules changed how costs are sorted.
Large one-time costs, like a study, lawsuit or repair, landed in one year.
Questions you could ask
What did the extra $816K a year pay for?
Why did senior management go from $1.7M to $2.4M?
Was each increase approved by council as a separate decision, or did it happen through the yearly budget?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Cochrane?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Running the town office: 2019 $1.9M, 2020 $2.0M, 2021 $2.1M, 2022 $3.9M, 2023 $2.2M, 2024 $2.7M.
Cochrane spent about $114 per home on council in 2024. The typical similar town spent $81. Only 3 of 23 similar towns spent more.
Why it matters
Spending more than neighbours is not wrong by itself. It might buy better service. But it is the first place to look for costs that could be lower, such as contracts that were not competitively bid.
It could be because…
Geography: more roads, more snow, a bigger area or a landfill of its own.
Accounting: some towns record the same cost in a different category.
A one-time cost in this year.
Questions you could ask
What makes this cost higher here than in similar towns?
When were the main contracts in this area last put out to competitive tender?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Cochrane?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Council per home: Cochrane $114; typical similar town $81; ranked 4th highest of 24.
$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.
Why it matters
A big part of a town's budget is bills set by other bodies. Knowing which part of a tax increase comes from those bills, and which from the Town's own choices, helps residents judge a tax rise fairly.
It could be because…
The Town sets none of these amounts: the OPP calculates its charge per property, and the social services board and health unit set their own.
The report says 2023 actual spending was below the 2023 budget for several of these, so the jump against actual spending is smaller.
Questions you could ask
What were the actual 2024 payments to these bodies, compared with the 2024 budget?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Cochrane?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"To date, 2024 estimates have come back with significant changes from the 2023 budget (38.6% increase or $195,673)." It lists "OPP - 2024 budget $1,466,328 / 2023 budget $1,418,133 / 2023 actual $1,406,828" and "CDSSAB (social services) - 2024 budget $939,998 / 2023 budget $855,778 / 2023 actual $816,578".
$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.
Why it matters
Outside advice is a cost that does not show up as staff. When one line triples, residents can ask whether the budget now matches what is really needed, and what the work was for.
It could be because…
The Town says the integrity commissioner cost is "uncontrollable" and was raised to match the trend in actual costs.
The Town says most of the other items are one-time studies funded from reserves, such as an organizational review, a strategic plan and policy reviews.
Raising a budget to match what was already being spent is a more honest budget, not more spending.
Questions you could ask
What did the integrity commissioner's office actually cost in 2024 and 2025, compared with the $60,000 budgeted?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Cochrane?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"A total of $284,142 costs have been identified as follows: $66,500 Organizational Review - use of reserve; $60,000 Integrity Commissioner - uncontrollable and increased from last year's budget of $20,000 due to trend in actual costs incurred - work within operations; $51,598 Municipal strategic plan - use of reserve."
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.
Why it matters
The pay statement is the one place residents can see what their council costs. With an election on October 26, 2026, voters will want the last two years in hand.
It could be because…
The statements may be posted somewhere we did not look: the Town's CivicWeb document centre asks automated tools to stay out, so we did not read it.
The page may not yet have been updated after the statements were approved.
The 2023 statement was posted in October 2024, so the Town may post them late rather than not at all.
Questions you could ask
Will the Town post the 2024 and 2025 statements of remuneration and expenses before the election, and where?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Cochrane?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The council page says: "The Municipal Act, Section 284 (1), requires that the Treasurer of every municipality submit a Statement of Remuneration and Expenses, for the preceding year". The newest report listed under Council Remuneration is "2023 Council Remuneration Report", "Updated: October 18, 2024".
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