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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Cornwall'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 · 9 so far
Things worth asking about
We read Cornwall's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 8 similar Ontario places. 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.
22 monthsfrom the end of 2023 to the auditor's report date of November 6, 2025 (worked out by us)
Audited statements are the City's yearly accounts, checked by an outside accounting firm. The auditor's report on the 2021 statements is dated July 12, 2022. The report on the 2022 statements is dated March 26, 2024, on 2023 it is dated November 6, 2025, and on 2024 it is dated March 24, 2026. Counting from December 31 of each year, that is about 6, 15, 22 and 15 months (worked out by us). The firm that signed also changed: MNP LLP signed for 2021 and KPMG LLP for 2022 to 2024. When we read the City's financial statements page on October 5, 2026, the newest year posted was 2024. The City's own budget book shows what the delay touches: the debt limit it was working from in late 2025 was worked out from its 2023 return to the Province, and its yearly debt and reserve reports are presented with the statements.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 7 sources
$89,221,543net debt at the end of 2024, up from $68,395,494 a year earlier
Net debt is what the City owes, minus the money and investments it holds. A surplus is revenue left over after the year's spending. Both can be true at once, because a surplus does not count the cost of buildings and roads the City buys, and net debt does. In 2024 the City bought $70,530,726 of capital assets, against a budget of $46,165,780. Net debt ended the year at $89,221,543, against a budget of $86,199,231. Cash fell from $19,248,611 to $2,329,635, but investments rose from $68,521,106 to $83,742,899, so cash and investments together barely moved ($87,769,717 to $86,072,534, worked out by us). Of the cash left, $644,232 was not set aside for any purpose. The City's own notes show $12,743,145 of capital spending not yet paid for, and the budget book explains that the City uses its own cash during construction and borrows when projects are done.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 6 sources
$24,850,051estimated debt payments in 2029, 15.17% of revenue, against $12,209,898 in 2026
The City's long-term debt (loans taken to pay for buildings and roads) was $66,267,224 at the end of 2024, up from $50,370,805. After year end it took on $26,217,000 more. The 2026 budget book estimates debt of about $97.8 million at the end of 2025, with $12.2 million a year in payments, which is 79.1% of the City's own limit (10% of its own-source revenue). The book also says Council has already approved $72.8 million of debt that has not yet been issued, and the City plans to finance another $144.6 million. Its own table shows yearly principal and interest payments rising from $12,209,898 in 2026 to $24,850,051 in 2029, or 15.17% of revenue, against its own 10% limit and the Province's 25% limit. The City's long-term financial plan recommends raising its own limit from 10% to 15%.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 6 sources
$16,018,947levy increase at the start of the draft 2026 budget's list of changes (16.97%), cut to $5,024,549 (5.32%)
Reserves are money set aside for future needs, such as replacing roads or buildings. The draft 2026 budget book says choices made to balance the 2025 budget left a $7.7 million increase to carry into 2026: in 2025 the City drew $1.65 million from operating reserves and $3.46 million from capital reserves, deferred $1.22 million of spending and postponed $1.37 million in contributions to reserves. Its list of changes to the 2026 budget starts at a levy increase of 16,018,947 (16.97%) and ends at 5,024,549 (5.32%). Along the way it cut contributions to reserves by $2,017,999, moved $3,890,411 of debt payments onto reserves and the Canada Community Building Fund, delayed or stretched $1,353,005 of debt payments and deferred $1,674,624 of capital. The City says it borrowed $800,000 from its Working Reserve in 2025 to cover salary increases, and the Tax Stabilization Reserve holds $300,000 against a goal of $3 million by 2025.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 7 sources
$26,004,712police net operating cost in the draft 2026 budget, up $2,253,392 (9.49%)
The Mayor's written direction for the 2026 budget asked for no more than a 4% increase, "excluding the Cornwall Police Service's budget". The draft budget shows a 3.89% levy increase without police and 5.32% with police. The police net operating cost (spending less the money police bring in) rises from $23,751,320 to $26,004,712, an increase of $2,253,392 or 9.49%. From the 2024 actual of $22,026,198 that is $3,978,514 more, or 18.1% (worked out by us). The police budget says salaries and benefits are over 87% of its spending and rise by $2,194,850 or 9.05%, with more than 6 points of that coming from contracts already in place. It adds one officer to replace officers off on long-term illness (paid for by WSIB recoveries), and two Community Safety Officers. Provincial and federal grants to police fall by $190,552.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 4 sources
$120,0002026 budget funding approved by the Mayor alone ($70,000 for three groups and $50,000 for Centre 105)
Under Ontario's strong mayor rules, the Mayor proposes the budget. For 2026 the Mayor's office ran its own funding intake for non-profit groups in September 2025. The budget book says "decision-making authority rested solely with the Mayor". It received 28 applications, one email and one letter. The Mayor approved three applications for a total of $70,000 and a separate $50,000 for Centre 105, so "$120,000 was included in the 2026 budget". The budget book lists these in the changes made to the budget after it was sent to the Mayor. The regular Municipal Grants Program, by contrast, is reviewed by a committee of three councillors. The City published a list of every applicant and what was approved.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 4 sources
$19,954.90each councillor's city remuneration in 2020, the newest yearly statement we found
A council pay statement lists what each member was paid and what expenses were claimed. The City's Council Expenses and Attendance page posts yearly summaries for 2014 to 2020. The 2020 summary says it is "as per Section 284 (1) of the Municipal Act, 2001" and prints the Mayor's city remuneration as $59,045.40 and each councillor's as $19,954.90. We did not find yearly summaries for 2021 to 2025. The City does post quarterly expense reports up to September 2025, but the one we read lists honorariums, travel and other expenses, not regular pay. The 2026 budget book shows Council's salaries and benefits (which include half the cost of an administrative assistant) at $482,564 in 2024 and $442,790 for 2026, and says Council's increase was "approved through by-law". It does not say what each member is paid.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 4 sources
97,637 cubic metersdischarged in 11 overflow events in 2024, about 0.62 percent of wastewater treated (the City's figure)
In the oldest parts of Cornwall one pipe carries both sewage and storm water. In heavy rain or fast snowmelt the pipes fill up and a mix of the two flows straight into the St. Lawrence River without treatment. This is called a combined sewer overflow. The City's water budget says there were 11 events in 2024, with 97,637 cubic meters discharged, which it works out as about 0.62 percent of the 15,715,809 cubic meters the plant treated. In 2025 to date there were 7 events and 77,107 cubic meters. The City explains that the overflow is "heavily diluted with stormwater", that the Ministry requires each event to be reported and made public, and that it separates the two pipes when the chance comes up during road rebuilding.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 1 source
22 monthsfrom the end of 2023 to the auditor's report date of November 6, 2025 (worked out by us)
Audited statements are the City's yearly accounts, checked by an outside accounting firm. The auditor's report on the 2021 statements is dated July 12, 2022. The report on the 2022 statements is dated March 26, 2024, on 2023 it is dated November 6, 2025, and on 2024 it is dated March 24, 2026. Counting from December 31 of each year, that is about 6, 15, 22 and 15 months (worked out by us). The firm that signed also changed: MNP LLP signed for 2021 and KPMG LLP for 2022 to 2024. When we read the City's financial statements page on October 5, 2026, the newest year posted was 2024. The City's own budget book shows what the delay touches: the debt limit it was working from in late 2025 was worked out from its 2023 return to the Province, and its yearly debt and reserve reports are presented with the statements.
Why it matters
Residents and the Province rely on audited statements to see whether the City is in good shape. A year that is not signed until well into the next year means decisions, such as the 2026 budget and new borrowing, are made on older numbers. We did not find the City's own explanation, so we are asking.
It could be because…
The City changed auditors after 2021, and a first-time audit by a new firm can take longer.
The 2023 statements restated the 2022 figures after the City adopted a new accounting standard on asset retirement obligations (the cost of closing and cleaning up assets such as a landfill). The auditor drew attention to this. New standards can add months to an audit.
The City may have given Council a staff report explaining the timing. We could not read the meeting portal with a plain script, so we may have missed it.
The delay may now be catching up: the gap between 2023 and 2024 shortened from 22 months to 15.
Questions you could ask
Why was each of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 audits signed so long after year end, and was Council told?
When will the 2025 statements be signed and posted?
Does the delay hold up the City's yearly return to the Province, and the debt and reserve reports that are presented with the statements?
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 Cornwall?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Independent Auditor's Report on the statements for the year ended December 31, 2024: KPMG LLP, Kingston, Canada, signed "March 24, 2026". The opinion is clean: the statements "present fairly, in all material respects" the City's position.
Independent Auditor's Report on the statements for the year ended December 31, 2023: KPMG LLP, Kingston, Canada, signed "November 6, 2025". The report includes an "Emphasis of Matter - Comparative Information" saying certain information for the year ended December 31, 2022 "has been restated" (Note 19).
Independent Auditor's Report on the statements as at December 31, 2021, signed by MNP LLP, Cornwall, Ontario, dated "July 12, 2022". The management letter says MNP LLP "is appointed by the Corporation of the City of Cornwall's Council to audit the consolidated financial statements".
Long-Term Debt: the City "has not yet received its 2025 ARL" (its Annual Repayment Limit, the Province's yearly debt-room figure). On debt reporting: "The report is presented to Council at the same time as the presentation of the Financial Statements." On reserves: "annual reporting to Council will occur at the same time that the City's Financial Statements are presented."
Appendix C, Schedule 81 Annual Debt Repayment Limit, printed by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing on 10.11.2025: "FIR2023", "based on the information reported for the year ended December 31, 2023". It gives an "ESTIMATED ANNUAL REPAYMENT LIMIT" of 30,156,963.
The City's Financial Statements page lists "2024 Financial Statements" as the newest, followed by 2023, 2022, 2021 and earlier years back to 2017. It lists no statements for 2025.
$89,221,543net debt at the end of 2024, up from $68,395,494 a year earlier
Net debt is what the City owes, minus the money and investments it holds. A surplus is revenue left over after the year's spending. Both can be true at once, because a surplus does not count the cost of buildings and roads the City buys, and net debt does. In 2024 the City bought $70,530,726 of capital assets, against a budget of $46,165,780. Net debt ended the year at $89,221,543, against a budget of $86,199,231. Cash fell from $19,248,611 to $2,329,635, but investments rose from $68,521,106 to $83,742,899, so cash and investments together barely moved ($87,769,717 to $86,072,534, worked out by us). Of the cash left, $644,232 was not set aside for any purpose. The City's own notes show $12,743,145 of capital spending not yet paid for, and the budget book explains that the City uses its own cash during construction and borrows when projects are done.
Why it matters
Net debt shows how much of the City's past spending still has to be paid by future taxpayers and users. It rose 30% in one year (worked out by us). The City's surplus looks large, but much of it is grants for building projects, so it is not spare cash.
It could be because…
Net debt rises whenever a city builds more than it saves. The City's tangible capital assets (buildings, roads, pipes) grew from $518,117,218 to $568,280,545, so the debt bought something.
The budget already planned for net debt to grow to $86,199,231, so most of the increase was expected.
A large part of the surplus is capital grants of $20,095,564 (budget $11,300,808) that can only be spent on building, so it was never available for day-to-day costs.
The City says it spends its own cash while building and borrows afterwards. That makes cash look low during construction and then debt jump when the loan is taken out.
The City's investments are guaranteed investment certificates (GICs) maturing in 2025, which can be turned into cash.
Questions you could ask
How much of the $12,743,145 of capital spending not yet paid for will be covered by grants, and how much by new debt?
Why did accounts payable and accrued liabilities rise by about $5.1 million in 2024?
What is the City's plan to bring net debt down, and by when?
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 Cornwall?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Statement of financial position, December 31, 2024 (2023): "Cash (note 5)" $2,329,635 ($19,248,611); "Investments (note 6)" 83,742,899 (68,521,106); "Accounts payable and accrued liabilities" 45,866,735 (40,763,441); "Net debt" (89,221,543) ((68,395,494)); "Tangible capital assets (note 12)" 568,280,545 (518,117,218).
Statement of changes in net debt, 2024 budget and actual: "Annual surplus" $10,249,993 budget, $29,507,688 actual. "Acquisition of tangible capital assets" (46,165,780) budget, (70,530,726) actual. "Change in net debt" (17,803,737) budget, (20,826,049) actual. "Net debt, end of year" $ (86,199,231) budget, $ (89,221,543) actual.
Note 5, Cash: "Unappropriated cash" $644,232 (2023 $9,129,357); "Reserve funds" 1,685,403 (10,119,254). Note 6, Investments total $83,742,899 ($68,521,106). The fixed income securities are "guaranteed investment certificates with interest rates ranging between 3.91% and 5.95% and maturity dates between February 2025 and December 2025".
User Fees: "In practice, the City does not borrow until projects are complete, which means we are using cash reserves to fund expenditures during construction rather than holding those funds in interest-bearing investments." The 2026 investment income budget is $2,046,860, "a decrease of $1,413,340" from 2025.
$24,850,051estimated debt payments in 2029, 15.17% of revenue, against $12,209,898 in 2026
The City's long-term debt (loans taken to pay for buildings and roads) was $66,267,224 at the end of 2024, up from $50,370,805. After year end it took on $26,217,000 more. The 2026 budget book estimates debt of about $97.8 million at the end of 2025, with $12.2 million a year in payments, which is 79.1% of the City's own limit (10% of its own-source revenue). The book also says Council has already approved $72.8 million of debt that has not yet been issued, and the City plans to finance another $144.6 million. Its own table shows yearly principal and interest payments rising from $12,209,898 in 2026 to $24,850,051 in 2029, or 15.17% of revenue, against its own 10% limit and the Province's 25% limit. The City's long-term financial plan recommends raising its own limit from 10% to 15%.
Why it matters
Debt payments come ahead of other spending. If they take a bigger share of revenue, there is less for services, or taxes and water bills must rise. The City's own limit exists to prevent that, and the plan would pass it unless the limit is changed or grants cover part of the cost.
It could be because…
Much of the future debt is shown as a placeholder. The budget book says the City hopes to receive grants for some projects, and "until funding is approved, we have included funding from debt financing".
The table includes water and wastewater debt, which is paid by water bills and not by property tax. The book says about 65.3% of yearly repayments are paid from non-tax sources such as the Canada Community Building Fund, gas tax, the Ministry of Health, reserves and the United Counties of SDG.
The City is not using debt for its 2026 capital projects, so the rise comes later and can still be changed.
The City is within the Province's 25% limit in every year of the table, and is proposing a formal Debt Management Policy and a 15% limit for Council to adopt in early 2026.
Questions you could ask
How much of the $72.8 million of approved but unissued debt, and of the $144.6 million of planned debt, is expected to be covered by grants?
If grants do not arrive, will Council raise the limit, delay projects, or raise taxes and water rates?
How much of the 15.17% in 2029 is paid by property tax, and how much by water and sewer bills and other sources?
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 Cornwall?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Note 11, Net long-term liabilities: total $66,267,224 (2023 $50,370,805). "Interest expense on long-term liabilities amounted to $1,711,163 (2023 - $1,295,880)." "Subsequent to December 31, 2024, the City has obtained $26,217,000 of additional debt to finance various capital projects with maturities ranging from 3 to 50 years." Statement of cash flows: "Proceeds received from long-term liabilities" 22,806,084 (10,091,000).
Note 16, Commitments: "Remaining commitment" for capital contracts $72,476,493. "Subsequent to year end, the City awarded capital contracts with a value of $45,473,971."
"At the end of 2025, it is estimated that the City's debt obligations will be approximately $97.8 million requiring an annual payment of $12.2 million." Table: "City of Cornwall Self-Imposed Debt Limit 10% $15.4 M 79.1%"; "Ontario Regulation 403/02 25% $38.6 M 31.6%". The plan recommends "increasing Cornwall's self-imposed debt servicing limit from 10% to 15% of own-source revenue".
"approval has been granted to issue debt on prior year capital projects in the amount of $72.8 million". The City "plans to finance $144.6 million in capital works and asset replacement". Total Projected Annual Debt Payments (Principal and Interest): 2026 12,209,898 (7.91%); 2027 17,417,088 (11.06%); 2028 22,466,537 (13.99%); 2029 24,850,051 (15.17%).
Appendix C, Debt Schedule, Total Net Debt in millions: 2025 97.76; 2026 150.73; 2027 226.06; 2029 241.93; 2032 244.24. It adds: "It is hoped that the City will receive grant funding to support some of these projects, but until funding is approved, we have included funding from debt financing in the long-term financial plan."
"Approximately 65.3% of the City's annual debt repayments are funded by non-taxation sources of revenue". "The City is not using debt financing as a revenue source for its 2026 capital projects."
$16,018,947levy increase at the start of the draft 2026 budget's list of changes (16.97%), cut to $5,024,549 (5.32%)
Reserves are money set aside for future needs, such as replacing roads or buildings. The draft 2026 budget book says choices made to balance the 2025 budget left a $7.7 million increase to carry into 2026: in 2025 the City drew $1.65 million from operating reserves and $3.46 million from capital reserves, deferred $1.22 million of spending and postponed $1.37 million in contributions to reserves. Its list of changes to the 2026 budget starts at a levy increase of 16,018,947 (16.97%) and ends at 5,024,549 (5.32%). Along the way it cut contributions to reserves by $2,017,999, moved $3,890,411 of debt payments onto reserves and the Canada Community Building Fund, delayed or stretched $1,353,005 of debt payments and deferred $1,674,624 of capital. The City says it borrowed $800,000 from its Working Reserve in 2025 to cover salary increases, and the Tax Stabilization Reserve holds $300,000 against a goal of $3 million by 2025.
Why it matters
Using savings to hold down this year's tax increase is a choice, and it makes the next increase larger. The City says so itself. Residents can reasonably ask how the reserves will be rebuilt and who pays for it.
It could be because…
The Mayor directed staff to keep the increase to no more than 4% (not counting police), and the cuts show how staff tried to meet that.
The City says the 2025 measures were "necessary short-term solutions" and plans a multi-year repayment of money borrowed from reserves.
A new Reserve and Reserve Fund Policy and a Debt Management Policy are due to go to Council in early 2026, which may set firmer targets.
Total reserves and reserve funds actually grew in 2024, from $72,869,857 to $74,508,068, and were above the budgeted $67,859,908, so the City started 2025 with more savings than planned.
The City says paying debt from reserves is acceptable "provided that the reserve continues to receive regular contributions".
Questions you could ask
What is the plan and the dates for putting the 2025 and 2026 reserve withdrawals and deferred contributions back?
The policy says money borrowed from the Working Reserve is repaid the following year. Why is the $800,000 being repaid over four years, and did Council approve that?
What was the final 2026 levy increase after the Mayor's later budget amendment, and what did that change?
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 Cornwall?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Impact of 2025 Budget Decisions: "In 2025, the City drew $1.65 million from operating reserves and $3.46 million from capital reserves to offset increased salary costs in paramedic services, infrastructure, and debt servicing." "$1.22 million in operating and capital expenditures were deferred or reduced" and "$1.37 million in contributions to reserves were postponed". "The cumulative effect of these decisions is a $7.7 million increase carried into the 2026 budget." Total estimated increase $19.8 million; net pressure "$14.5 million, or 15.4%".
List of Changes to the 2026 Budget: "2026 Budget Levy Increase" 16,018,947, "16.97%". "Decreases to Contribution to Reserves" ($2,017,999). "Fund Long-Term Debt from Reserves/CCBF" ($3,890,411). "NON-DEPARTMENTAL - Reduce Payback of $800K to $200K (payback over 4 years)" ($600,000).
List of Changes, last lines: "Budget Book to the Mayor" 5,016,171, 5.31%. "Changes to the Budget Book After Submitting it to the Mayor" 4,963,664, 5.19%. "With Changes from the Mayor" 5,024,549, average taxes $3,268.09 against $3,104.93, 5.25%. Highlights: "The tax levy increase is $5,024,549 or 5.32%".
Operating Reserves: "Currently, there is $300,000 in the Tax Stabilization Reserve" against a "strategy to fund this reserve annually to a balance of $3 million by 2025". The Municipal Building Reserve "is utilizing more funds annually than what is being contributed to the Reserve, raising concerns about the sustainability of future projects".
Community Partners: "Two other amounts were borrowed from Working Reserve in 2025, $155,000 for the DBIA Walkway and $800,000 to offset the cost in salary increases in the 2025 budget." "The $800,000 salary offset will be paid back in 4 equal instalments." Also: "monies borrowed from the Working Reserve are to be paid back to the Reserve in the following year."
Schedule 1, Continuity of Reserves and Reserve Funds: balance at end of year 2024 budget $ 67,859,908, actual $ 74,508,068 (2023 $ 72,869,857). "Working funds" $3,627,698 (2023 $4,533,040). "Tax stabilization" 300,000.
$26,004,712police net operating cost in the draft 2026 budget, up $2,253,392 (9.49%)
The Mayor's written direction for the 2026 budget asked for no more than a 4% increase, "excluding the Cornwall Police Service's budget". The draft budget shows a 3.89% levy increase without police and 5.32% with police. The police net operating cost (spending less the money police bring in) rises from $23,751,320 to $26,004,712, an increase of $2,253,392 or 9.49%. From the 2024 actual of $22,026,198 that is $3,978,514 more, or 18.1% (worked out by us). The police budget says salaries and benefits are over 87% of its spending and rise by $2,194,850 or 9.05%, with more than 6 points of that coming from contracts already in place. It adds one officer to replace officers off on long-term illness (paid for by WSIB recoveries), and two Community Safety Officers. Provincial and federal grants to police fall by $190,552.
Why it matters
Policing is the largest single item in the City's budget, and a cost rising at more than twice the pace of everything else decides how much taxes rise. Residents can ask how the cap was chosen and who decides the police number.
It could be because…
More than 6% of the salary increase is from collective agreements (union contracts) already signed, which the City cannot change in the budget.
The police budget says new rules under the Community Safety and Policing Act require more training and more safety equipment.
Part of the cost is paid back: WSIB recoveries and secondment payments are budgeted to raise police revenue by $219,983 (5.46%).
Police budgets are set with the Cornwall Police Service Board, so Council may have less say than over other departments.
Questions you could ask
How was the 4% limit chosen, and why was police left out of it?
How much of the $2,253,392 increase is already fixed by signed contracts, and how much is new service?
What did the Police Service Board ask for, and what did Council or the Mayor change?
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 Cornwall?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Mayor's direction, point 1(b): a budget "at no more than a 4% budget increase excluding the Cornwall Police Service's budget." Budget book: "Administration is presenting a budget with a 3.89% tax levy increase excluding the Cornwall Police Service's budget. Including Police Services, the tax levy increase is 5.32%."
Police, Operating and Capital Financial Summary: "NET OPERATING COST (TAXATION)" $22,026,198 (2024 actual), $18,633,911 (2025 actual to September), $23,751,320 (2025 budget), $26,004,712 (2026), change $2,253,392, 9.49%. "Salaries and Benefits" $26,456,505, up $2,194,850 or 9.05%. "Provincial and Federal Grants" $1,659,151, down ($190,552).
Police commentary: "Salaries and Benefits account for over 87% of the total operating budget expenditures. The increase in this area for 2026 is $2,194,850 or 9.05%." "More than 6% of the increases represent incremental and contractual obligations." It adds one officer to replace those off work due to long term illness, "offset by WSIB recoveries", and two Community Safety Officers. Revenue rises $219,983 or 5.46%.
$120,0002026 budget funding approved by the Mayor alone ($70,000 for three groups and $50,000 for Centre 105)
Under Ontario's strong mayor rules, the Mayor proposes the budget. For 2026 the Mayor's office ran its own funding intake for non-profit groups in September 2025. The budget book says "decision-making authority rested solely with the Mayor". It received 28 applications, one email and one letter. The Mayor approved three applications for a total of $70,000 and a separate $50,000 for Centre 105, so "$120,000 was included in the 2026 budget". The budget book lists these in the changes made to the budget after it was sent to the Mayor. The regular Municipal Grants Program, by contrast, is reviewed by a committee of three councillors. The City published a list of every applicant and what was approved.
Why it matters
Public money going to community groups is one of the places people look for fairness. The City has been open about this: the process, the applicants and the decisions are in the budget book. What is not shown is how the Mayor chose, and whether the new money is on top of what the same groups already received.
It could be because…
The strong mayor law gives the Mayor the power to propose the budget, and Council can still amend it.
The City says staff helped write the application criteria and promote the program, and the list of all applicants was published "for transparency".
Two of the groups are long-standing community partners. The Community Partners table shows Your Arts Council at $25,000 in 2024 and 2025, and Diversity Cornwall at $30,000 and $20,000, so part of the $70,000 may continue earlier support.
The program was only for requests that did not fit the regular grants program, so it may have filled a gap.
Questions you could ask
Did the $30,000 for Your Arts Council and $35,000 for Diversity Cornwall replace the amounts those groups already had in the Community Partners table, or add to them?
What criteria and scoring did the Mayor use to choose among the 28 applications?
Is the $50,000 for Centre 105 a one-year amount, or is the City committed to the three years the group asked for?
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 Cornwall?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Request for Funding or In-Kind Services through the Mayor's Office: "Application review and decision-making authority rested solely with the Mayor." "The Mayor's Office received 28 applications, one email (from an applicant that had trouble filling in the application), and one direct letter." "Mayor Towndale reviewed the applications and approved three" totalling 70,000; "Mayor Towndale approved $50,000" for Centre 105; "In total, $120,000 was included in the 2026 budget."
Appendix F table: Your Arts Council, Cornwall & the Counties asked for 35,000 and was approved 30,000. Diversity Cornwall asked for 45,000 and was approved 35,000. Festival International Afro et Diversite de Cornwall SDG asked for 10,000 and was approved 5,000. Centre 105 asked for $10,000 for a meal program and separately for $75,000 a year for three years.
List of Changes, under "Changes to the Budget Book After Submitting it to the Mayor": "Community Agencies - grant funding" $70,000; "Transfers - Funding to Centre 105" $50,000.
Community Partners table (2023, 2024, 2025 approved; 2026 submission): Your Arts Council $0, $25,000, $25,000, $30,000. Diversity Cornwall $0, $30,000, $20,000, $35,000. The Municipal Grants Program: "The Municipal Grants Review Committee is made up of three Councillors and support staff."
$19,954.90each councillor's city remuneration in 2020, the newest yearly statement we found
A council pay statement lists what each member was paid and what expenses were claimed. The City's Council Expenses and Attendance page posts yearly summaries for 2014 to 2020. The 2020 summary says it is "as per Section 284 (1) of the Municipal Act, 2001" and prints the Mayor's city remuneration as $59,045.40 and each councillor's as $19,954.90. We did not find yearly summaries for 2021 to 2025. The City does post quarterly expense reports up to September 2025, but the one we read lists honorariums, travel and other expenses, not regular pay. The 2026 budget book shows Council's salaries and benefits (which include half the cost of an administrative assistant) at $482,564 in 2024 and $442,790 for 2026, and says Council's increase was "approved through by-law". It does not say what each member is paid.
Why it matters
Councillors vote on their own pay, so residents should be able to see it every year. The budget book says Council goes from 10 councillors to 8 beginning in December 2026, and the election is on October 26, 2026, so the pay numbers are a fair thing for voters to look at.
It could be because…
The yearly statements may have been given to Council as staff reports on the meeting portal, which we could not read with a plain script.
The City may have stopped posting yearly summaries because the quarterly reports replaced them.
Pay may have changed since 2020 by a by-law that sets it, which the budget book mentions but does not name.
Questions you could ask
Where are the yearly s. 284 statements for 2021 to 2025?
What is each member of Council paid in 2026, and under which by-law?
Why did the City stop posting yearly summaries after 2020, if it did?
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 Cornwall?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Council Expenses and Attendance page: annual links are titled "2020 Annual Remuneration/Expense Report Summary", then 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. Next are quarterly "Remuneration/Expense Report" links, the newest "(July to Sept. 30/25)".
Summary of Remuneration and Expenses of Elected Officials for the year ended December 31, 2020, "as per Section 284 (1) of the Municipal Act, 2001 and By-law No. 2019-150". Mayor: "City Remuneration" $59,045.40, "Car Allowance" $1,920.00, "RRSP" $5,314.09. Each councillor listed: "City Remuneration" $19,954.90.
Council budget: "Salaries and Benefits include Council salaries and half of the cost for an Administrative Assistant." It "includes incremental and contractual obligations for the Assistant and the increase for Council members as approved through by-law" and "a reduction from 10 Councillor to 8 Councillors beginning in December 2026". Financial summary: Salaries and Benefits $482,564 (2024 actual), $442,790 (2026), change ($7,030).
Statement of expenses for January 1, 2025 to September 30, 2025: the Mayor's columns are "Police Services Board Honorarium", "Car Allowance", "Travel", "Corporate Relations" and "Miscellaneous", with "Total Honorarium to Date" $2,625.03. No regular pay column is shown.
97,637 cubic metersdischarged in 11 overflow events in 2024, about 0.62 percent of wastewater treated (the City's figure)
In the oldest parts of Cornwall one pipe carries both sewage and storm water. In heavy rain or fast snowmelt the pipes fill up and a mix of the two flows straight into the St. Lawrence River without treatment. This is called a combined sewer overflow. The City's water budget says there were 11 events in 2024, with 97,637 cubic meters discharged, which it works out as about 0.62 percent of the 15,715,809 cubic meters the plant treated. In 2025 to date there were 7 events and 77,107 cubic meters. The City explains that the overflow is "heavily diluted with stormwater", that the Ministry requires each event to be reported and made public, and that it separates the two pipes when the chance comes up during road rebuilding.
Why it matters
The City draws its drinking water from the St. Lawrence River, according to its water budget. The City is open about the numbers. Residents can still ask how fast the old pipes are being replaced and what that will cost.
It could be because…
The overflows happen only in heavy rain or snowmelt, when the system is at capacity, and the City says they are mostly stormwater.
The City says it has met all of the Ministry's overflow requirements in 2025.
Separating sewers is done during road reconstruction, so progress depends on the road schedule.
Questions you could ask
How many kilometres of combined sewer are left, and in what year does the City expect to have separated them all?
Where does the City post each overflow event for the public, as it says the Ministry requires?
How much of the 2026 to 2035 capital plan is for sewer separation?
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 Cornwall?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Environmental Services - Wastewater: "The City has experienced 7 CSO events to date in 2025 which has resulted in 77,107 cubic meters of diluted wastewater discharged directly to the St. Lawrence River." "The WWTP treated 15,715,809 cubic meters of wastewater in 2024. During 2024, the WWTP experienced 11 CSO events comprised of a total volume of 97,637 cubic meters of effluent which represents approximately 0.62 percent of the total volume of wastewater treated." "The City has met all MECP CSO requirements in 2025." "When the opportunity arises through road reconstruction, combined sewers are separated". "The MECP requires that each CSO event is reported to the MECP as well as made publicly available."
Cornwall spent about $339 per home on garbage, dump and recycling in 2024. The typical similar city spent $252. Only 1 of 8 similar places 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 places 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 places?
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 Cornwall?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Garbage, dump and recycling per home: Cornwall $339; typical similar city $252; ranked 2nd highest of 9.
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