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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Collingwood'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 · 8 so far
Things worth asking about
We read Collingwood's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 43 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.
$38,319,000planned for the Water Treatment Plant Expansion in 2026, all shown in the "Grants" column
The 2026 budget plans $38,319,000 of building work in 2026 for a bigger water treatment plant. In the budget table, all of it sits in one column headed "Grants". The Town's own description says the first phase is paid for partly by the neighbouring municipality of New Tecumseth and partly by a provincial grant, and it also lists water reserve money and development charges (fees paid by builders) as sources. The table does not show how the $38,319,000 splits between those.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$700,000of reserve and hotel-tax money used to lower the 2026 levy (worked out by us), against a levy rise of $598,314
The levy is the part of your property tax that the Town sets for its own spending. For 2026 it rises by $598,314, to $38,687,568. The Town's budget lists money taken from savings (reserves) to push the levy down: $390,000 from general reserve funds, $250,000 from expected 2026 hotel-tax (municipal accommodation tax) money, and $60,000 from 2025 hotel-tax money. Together that is $700,000 (worked out by us), more than the $598,314 rise. The Town says Council directed the $250,000 hotel-tax use. The budget's own outlook shows the levy rising to $40.3 million in 2027.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$364,000budgeted "Legal Expenses" for 2026, up from $304,000
The levy table lists two legal-related increases for 2026: "Legal increase" of $87,000 and "Legal - OLT increase" of $120,000, together $207,000 (worked out by us). The summary by expense type shows the "Legal Expenses" line rising only $60,000, from $304,000 to $364,000. The Town explains the first as reflecting past actual spending and more services, and the second as the cost of hearings on appeals to its new Official Plan. It says 16 appeals were received.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
0audited financial statements we found posted on the Town's Financial Reports page
Audited financial statements are the yearly accounts that an outside auditor has checked. On the Town's Financial Reports page, the section for them says residents should email the finance department to request a copy. The same page links the 2025 council pay statement and two reports on development charge reserve funds (for 2022 and for 2020/2021), but we found no statements posted. The budgets page we read links the 2026 budget book and the 2026 fees and charges, and we found no earlier budgets there.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
2.39%Town tax rise the Mayor reports for 2026, about $62 for the median home
The Mayor's message says the 2026 Town tax increase is limited to 2.39%, about $62 for a median home. The budget's rate table shows why the number looks small: the general rate rises only 0.96% ($22), a special capital levy of $96 on the table's sample bill is removed, and the general capital levy (a charge that builds a fund for replacing roads, buildings and equipment) rises 70.97% ($137). The Town says Council directed it to combine the two capital levies. The 2026 budget was issued by the Mayor under strong-mayor powers, which the budget describes as including a period for Council amendments.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
5.69%rise in salaries and benefits in the 2026 budget
The 2026 budget sets salaries and benefits at $31,239,536, up $1,777,018 from $29,462,518. The number of full-time-equivalent positions (FTEs, where two half-time jobs count as one) goes from 268.20 to 270.20, plus one new position, for 271.20. The Town has listed what drives the tax-supported part of the rise: pay increases of 2.75% for non-union staff, a fire contract increase, step moves through pay grades, and two pay-policy adjustments.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$429,814.51total of all 2025 columns for Council and board members (worked out by us)
The Town's 2025 statement of pay for Council and board members shows a column total of $306,411.78 in salary. That total includes fees to members of the Committee of Adjustment, a board of appointed volunteers. Council also received $5,670.00 for special meetings, $33,115.05 for professional development and discretionary spending, $59,585.24 in health premiums, $15,344.21 in CPP/EHT (pension and employer health tax) and $9,688.23 in travel. Added up, that is $429,814.51 (worked out by us). The Town's expense reports explain the rules for the discretionary part.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
306the recommendation asking Council for a public report on its response, one year after the report
In November 2020 the Collingwood Judicial Inquiry delivered its final report on two Town transactions from 2010 to 2014: the sale of a 50 percent share of the Town's electric utility, and the building of an arena and a pool. Its recommendations include a lobbyist registry, a periodic outside review of the integrity commissioner's work, and, as recommendation 306, a public report from Council on the first anniversary of the report describing its response. The Town now has a lobbyist registry and an integrity commissioner. We did not find the anniversary report.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$38,319,000planned for the Water Treatment Plant Expansion in 2026, all shown in the "Grants" column
The 2026 budget plans $38,319,000 of building work in 2026 for a bigger water treatment plant. In the budget table, all of it sits in one column headed "Grants". The Town's own description says the first phase is paid for partly by the neighbouring municipality of New Tecumseth and partly by a provincial grant, and it also lists water reserve money and development charges (fees paid by builders) as sources. The table does not show how the $38,319,000 splits between those.
Why it matters
This is the biggest single project in the budget. If the outside money arrives, the cost to Collingwood water customers is small. If some of it does not, the gap is paid by water rates, reserves or borrowing. Residents cannot tell from the budget which it is.
It could be because…
The "Grants" column may simply group every outside source, including New Tecumseth's share, not only provincial grants.
The funding agreements may already be signed, so the money may be certain even though the table does not break it down.
A capital budget shows what Council is allowed to spend in a year. It is not a forecast of what Collingwood's own rates will pay.
Questions you could ask
How much of the $38,319,000 is covered by signed agreements, from the province and from New Tecumseth, and how much is Collingwood's own share?
Has the provincial grant named in the budget been confirmed in writing? What happens to the schedule and to water rates if it is not?
Can the budget table show New Tecumseth's share and the provincial share as separate columns?
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 Collingwood?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Water Treatment & Distribution capital table, columns "Expenses", "Grants", "DC Reserves", "Reserves", "Other Revenues": "9641 - Water Treatment Plant Expansion" shows 38,319,000 under Expenses and 38,319,000 under Grants, with a dash under each of the other three. The water service grand total is 62,491,500 in Expenses and 44,845,200 in Grants.
The Town's description of the project: "Expansion water capacity and costs to be proportionally shared with New Tecumseth." and "Phase 1 of the expansion is partially funded by the municipality of New Tecumseth as part of a renewed water servicing agreement with them as well as grant funding received from the province." Its "Fund Source(s)" line reads "Water RF, DCs Water, Other Municipalities, HEWS Grant Funding". It says construction is expected to continue until 2031, with substantial completion of additional water capacity in 2029.
The budget's summary of all spending shows capital spending of $128,692,725 and operating spending of $72,618,764 in 2026, for a total of $201,311,489.
$700,000of reserve and hotel-tax money used to lower the 2026 levy (worked out by us), against a levy rise of $598,314
The levy is the part of your property tax that the Town sets for its own spending. For 2026 it rises by $598,314, to $38,687,568. The Town's budget lists money taken from savings (reserves) to push the levy down: $390,000 from general reserve funds, $250,000 from expected 2026 hotel-tax (municipal accommodation tax) money, and $60,000 from 2025 hotel-tax money. Together that is $700,000 (worked out by us), more than the $598,314 rise. The Town says Council directed the $250,000 hotel-tax use. The budget's own outlook shows the levy rising to $40.3 million in 2027.
Why it matters
Reserve money can be spent only once. If a tax rise is smaller this year because of savings, the same savings are not there to do it again next year, and the gap shows up in a later bill.
It could be because…
Using savings to smooth a tax rise is a normal choice, and the Town says Council directed the $250,000 hotel-tax part.
Some of the reserve money may be set aside for exactly this purpose, so it is not being taken from other plans.
The 2027 figure is an outlook, not an adopted budget, and may change.
Questions you could ask
How much of the 2026 levy depends on reserve and hotel-tax money that will not be there in 2027?
What is the plan to pay for the same services in 2027 without it?
What is the balance of the general reserve before and after the $390,000 is used?
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 Collingwood?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"Municipal Levy Change - 2025 to 2026 Budget": 2025 levy 38,089,254, 2026 levy 38,687,568. Lines that lower the levy include "General Reserve Funds Allocation" (390,000), "MAT Allocation of 2026 Revenues" (250,000) and "MAT Allocation of 2025 Revenues" (60,000).
The Town's notes: "Use of General Reserve Funds reducing Municipal Levy"; "Council directive to include $250K of 2026 MAT funding as a reduction of 2026 Municipal Levy"; "Use of 2025 MAT funds reducing Municipal Levy".
Summary of 2026 transfers from reserves: "Reduction of Municipal Levy" 450,000, paid 13% from the Municipal Accomodation Reserve and 87% from General. The total of all transfers from reserves is 3,709,934.
$364,000budgeted "Legal Expenses" for 2026, up from $304,000
The levy table lists two legal-related increases for 2026: "Legal increase" of $87,000 and "Legal - OLT increase" of $120,000, together $207,000 (worked out by us). The summary by expense type shows the "Legal Expenses" line rising only $60,000, from $304,000 to $364,000. The Town explains the first as reflecting past actual spending and more services, and the second as the cost of hearings on appeals to its new Official Plan. It says 16 appeals were received.
Why it matters
Legal costs from planning appeals can be large and uncertain. The Town has said why they are rising. What the budget does not show is how the two sets of numbers fit together, or what has been spent so far.
It could be because…
Part of the appeal cost may be booked under another expense line, such as purchased services, so the legal line alone does not show it.
The "Legal increase" may be measured against actual spending, while the expense table compares budgets.
Appeal costs depend on how many cases go to a hearing, so the Town cannot fix them in advance.
Questions you could ask
How much has the Town spent on legal fees for the Official Plan appeals in 2025 and so far in 2026?
Where do the $207,000 of legal increases in the levy table appear in the expense-type summary?
Does the budget set aside money in case the appeals take longer than planned?
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 Collingwood?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The Town's notes: "Increase to legal fees to reflect historical actuals and increase in services." and "Anticipated costs for OLT hearings and legal costs based on Official Plan appeals."
Planning project "Policy - 2024 Official Plan OLT Appeals": "Received 16 appeals to the new Official Plan, mediation is underway and the first stage hearing is scheduled for April 2026. Legal costs are unavoidable expenses." Fund source: Taxes.
0audited financial statements we found posted on the Town's Financial Reports page
Audited financial statements are the yearly accounts that an outside auditor has checked. On the Town's Financial Reports page, the section for them says residents should email the finance department to request a copy. The same page links the 2025 council pay statement and two reports on development charge reserve funds (for 2022 and for 2020/2021), but we found no statements posted. The budgets page we read links the 2026 budget book and the 2026 fees and charges, and we found no earlier budgets there.
Why it matters
Audited statements are how anyone outside the Town checks what it earned, spent, owes and saved. Having to ask makes it harder to compare years, and for a council election on October 26, 2026, voters may want that comparison.
It could be because…
The statements may go to Council in a public agenda on the Town's meeting portal, which we could not search by year.
The Town files a yearly financial return with the Province, which is public, so the main numbers are not secret.
The page may be out of date, and the Town may be in the middle of moving its documents.
Questions you could ask
Will the Town post the audited statements for 2023, 2024 and 2025 on its Financial Reports page?
On what date did Council receive the 2024 and 2025 audited statements, and in which agenda?
Will earlier budget books also be posted, so residents can compare years?
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 Collingwood?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Under "Audited Financial Statements and accompanying documents" the page says: "Please email finance@collingwood.ca to request a copy of the audited Financial Statements." Other items on the page are "2025 Council Remuneration" and the "2022 Statement of Development Charge and Cash-in-Lieu of Parkland Reserve Funds" and the "2020/2021 Statement" of the same kind. Page text, read October 5, 2026.
The Budgeting & Taxation page links to "2026 Budget Book", "2026 Fees and Charges" and a Section 357/358 application form. Page links, read October 5, 2026.
2.39%Town tax rise the Mayor reports for 2026, about $62 for the median home
The Mayor's message says the 2026 Town tax increase is limited to 2.39%, about $62 for a median home. The budget's rate table shows why the number looks small: the general rate rises only 0.96% ($22), a special capital levy of $96 on the table's sample bill is removed, and the general capital levy (a charge that builds a fund for replacing roads, buildings and equipment) rises 70.97% ($137). The Town says Council directed it to combine the two capital levies. The 2026 budget was issued by the Mayor under strong-mayor powers, which the budget describes as including a period for Council amendments.
Why it matters
A headline percentage hides what changed inside it. Residents can see that money is shifting toward replacing assets. They can also see the budget was set under a new process where the Mayor proposes it, so it matters that the steps are easy to follow in public.
It could be because…
Combining two levies into one is a bookkeeping change, and Council directed it, so the shift in each line may not mean extra money overall.
Moving money into the capital levy may be a deliberate catch-up on replacing aging assets.
The Town may have published the Mayor's decision and Council's amendments elsewhere, which we did not read.
Questions you could ask
What did Council amend in the Mayor's proposed budget, and where are the votes recorded?
What was the combined capital levy in 2025 and in 2026 per $100,000 of assessment, so residents can compare like with like?
Where can residents read the Mayor's budget decision of January 16, 2026?
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 Collingwood?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
From the Mayor's message: "The 2026 municipal tax increase is limited to 2.39%, representing an annual increase of approximately $62 for the median assessed home." It also says the budget was "issued under the authority of the Strong Mayor powers".
Blended tax rate table: Town general tax rate 0.69180% (2025) to 0.69846% (2026), 0.96%, $2,262 to $2,284, a difference of $22. Special capital levy 0.02950% to 0.00000%, -100.00%, $96 to $-. General capital levy 0.05885% to 0.10062%, 70.97%, $192 to $329, a difference of $137.
Notes to the levy table: "Increase to both the General Capital and Special Capital Levies is based on Council motions and assessment growth" and "Council directive to combine Special Capital Levy and General Capital Levy". The summary by program shows the Special Capital Levy of 1,624,322 going to nothing and the General Capital Levy going from 3,240,199 to 5,573,143.
Budget process timeline: "Mayor's Proposed Budget, Council Amendments, Veto/Override Period" in December 2025 to January 2026, and "Final Budget Adoption (per legislated timelines)" in January 2026.
5.69%rise in salaries and benefits in the 2026 budget
The 2026 budget sets salaries and benefits at $31,239,536, up $1,777,018 from $29,462,518. The number of full-time-equivalent positions (FTEs, where two half-time jobs count as one) goes from 268.20 to 270.20, plus one new position, for 271.20. The Town has listed what drives the tax-supported part of the rise: pay increases of 2.75% for non-union staff, a fire contract increase, step moves through pay grades, and two pay-policy adjustments.
Why it matters
Pay is the largest cost in the budget. A rise much faster than head count is usually pay rates, not more people. That is fair to explain, and the Town has done much of it, but residents may want to know how the pay policy works.
It could be because…
The Town lists contract and policy increases that would explain most of the gap between pay growth and staff growth.
The salary line covers all services, including water and wastewater paid by user rates, while the Town's explanation covers only the tax-supported part.
FTE counts do not include overtime or contract help, which are separate lines.
Questions you could ask
What do the "P50" and "P55" pay policies mean, and what do the two adjustments cost over several years?
How much of the $1,777,018 is in water and wastewater, which are paid by user rates rather than taxes?
Which services gained or lost positions between the 2025 and 2026 FTE tables?
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 Collingwood?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Summary by expense type: "Salaries and Benefits" 2025 budget (29,462,518), 2026 budget (31,239,536), change (1,777,018), 5.69%.
FTE Staffing Overview, Grand Total row: 258.47 (2023), 263.78 (2024), 268.20 (2025), 270.20 (2026 proposed), 1.00 new positions, 271.20 (2026 total with proposed).
The Town's note on the tax-supported rise of 1,437,064 lists: $446,612 non-union COLA adjustment at 2.75%; $115,551 union COLA adjustment (Fire); $157,113 adjustment required to maintain P50 pay policy; $(60,000) salary attrition contingency; $27,500 projected overtime increase; $387,970 movement through pay grades and step changes; $191,217 proportional increase in benefits; $166,000 adjustment for P55 pay policy; and $5.1K for Councillor and Deputy Mayor pay at the start of the next term of Council.
$429,814.51total of all 2025 columns for Council and board members (worked out by us)
The Town's 2025 statement of pay for Council and board members shows a column total of $306,411.78 in salary. That total includes fees to members of the Committee of Adjustment, a board of appointed volunteers. Council also received $5,670.00 for special meetings, $33,115.05 for professional development and discretionary spending, $59,585.24 in health premiums, $15,344.21 in CPP/EHT (pension and employer health tax) and $9,688.23 in travel. Added up, that is $429,814.51 (worked out by us). The Town's expense reports explain the rules for the discretionary part.
Why it matters
Pay is only part of what an elected office costs. Residents can see the whole cost in one place only if they add up the columns.
It could be because…
Health premiums and CPP/EHT are employer costs that most employers pay, so they are not extra pay in the usual sense.
Professional development and travel for national and provincial municipal boards may be useful work for the Town.
The statement shows what was paid in 2025, and Council's pay rules may have changed since.
Questions you could ask
Who sets the amount of health coverage for members of Council, and where is that policy posted?
Does the statement's "professional development/discretionary" column include the FCM and AMO board amounts, and why are they shown on separate lines?
Can the Town publish a one-page total for each member, adding every column?
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 Collingwood?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Column totals on the statement for 2025: salary $306,411.78; special meetings $5,670.00; professional development/discretionary $33,115.05; health premiums $59,585.24; CPP/EHT $15,344.21; travel $9,688.23. The Mayor's salary is $65,348.34 and the Deputy Mayor's is $35,469.53. Other councillors listed are paid $30,045.27, except one at $22,212.29. The columns of every member row add up to these totals.
The Town's first-quarter 2026 report on expense claims says members of Council are given a Professional Development and Discretionary Expenses budget: Mayor annually $3,500, Mayor business and travel $7,000, Deputy Mayor annually $6,500, Councillor annually $5,500. Per diem rates are $70.00 for a half day and $140.00 for a full day, and mileage is $0.73 per kilometre. Separate approved amounts are $7,500 for FCM Board expenses and $5,000 for AMO Board expenses.
306the recommendation asking Council for a public report on its response, one year after the report
In November 2020 the Collingwood Judicial Inquiry delivered its final report on two Town transactions from 2010 to 2014: the sale of a 50 percent share of the Town's electric utility, and the building of an arena and a pool. Its recommendations include a lobbyist registry, a periodic outside review of the integrity commissioner's work, and, as recommendation 306, a public report from Council on the first anniversary of the report describing its response. The Town now has a lobbyist registry and an integrity commissioner. We did not find the anniversary report.
Why it matters
The Inquiry asked for one public follow-up. Residents who want to know how far the Town went in answer, before voting on October 26, 2026, should be able to find it easily.
It could be because…
Council may have published the report in a 2021 meeting agenda that we did not search.
The Town may have answered recommendations one by one in staff reports instead of one report.
The lobbyist registry came into effect on January 20, 2020, before the final report, so it may be an earlier step the Town cites as part of its response.
Questions you could ask
Where is the public report on Council's response to the Inquiry's recommendations, and what date was it published?
Has an outside auditor reviewed the integrity commissioner's work, as recommendation 301 suggests?
Which of the Inquiry's recommendations has the Town not adopted, and why?
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 Collingwood?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Recommendation 306: "The Town of Collingwood Council should issue a public report on the first anniversary of the release of this Report describing Council's response to these recommendations." The transmittal letter to the Mayor and Members of Town Council is dated November 2, 2020.
Recommendation 229: "The Town of Collingwood should establish a Lobbyist Registry after consultation with businesses, staff, and Council members." Recommendation 301 is that an external auditor should periodically review the operations of the integrity commissioner.
The Town's lobbyist registry page says: "The Lobbyist Registry came into effect on January 20, 2020". Its accountability page names an independent Lobbyist Registrar and Integrity Commissioner, and says an Accountability, Procurement & Risk Management Manager position was created in 2021. Page text, read October 5, 2026.
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