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Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Older reportDetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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
An older report. We have no 2024 report for Dawn-Euphemia in the Province's latest release, so these pages use its 2023 report. It may simply be filed late.
Read by hand. We read Dawn-Euphemia'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 / Dawn-EuphemiaUpdated Oct 7, 2026

Your town, in plain words

How Dawn-Euphemia uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Dawn-Euphemia's budget, taxes and council decisions. A rural township in Lambton County with a mayor and four councillors, elected at large. Every figure links back to the public record.

Your typical 2023 property tax bill$2,616on a $190K home55% Town34% County11% SchoolsSee your tax bill explained →
Town spending, 2023$5.4MAbout $5,820 per household, up 6.6% from 2022.See the money →
Property tax change−0.9%Dawn-Euphemia's own property tax came to $4.4M in 2023, against $4.4M in 2022.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Roads and snow$3.1M · 58%
Running the town office$904K · 17%
Police, fire and safety$669K · 12%
Water, sewers and garbage$520K · 10%
Show all 6 servicesShow fewer
Parks, arena and library$121K · 2%
Planning and business$98,164 · 2%

Day-to-day spending in 2023, from Dawn-Euphemia's report to the Province.

A fair comparisonHow does Dawn-Euphemia compare?Among 27 similar Ontario towns, Dawn-Euphemia's day-to-day spending per household is on the high side.Dawn-Euphemia is here · 26 of 27, lowest to highestCompare Dawn-Euphemia →

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 9 questions
Worth askingOpenness

Why were the 2023 audited statements signed in April 2026, and where are the 2024 and 2025 ones?

April 20, 2026date of the auditor's report on the 2023 statements

An audit is an outside accountant's check of a town's yearly books. The newest audited statements we found on the Township's website are for 2023, and the auditor signed them on April 20, 2026. The 2022 statements were signed by an earlier auditor on March 6, 2025. We did not find statements for 2024 or 2025.

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

Worth askingRecord-keeping

What was the error that raised the 2022 accumulated surplus by $934,508?

$934,508added to the accumulated surplus by correcting 2022 (Note 4)

The 2023 statements say the 2022 figures had to be corrected. Money the Township expected to collect from ratepayers and other municipalities for drainage work had been shown in the wrong place. The fix raised 2022's accumulated surplus (everything the Township owns minus everything it owes) from $15,812,931 to $16,747,439.

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

Worth askingMoney health

How will the Township close an $816,786 a year gap in paying for roads, bridges and water lines?

$816,786yearly funding gap in the Township's 2025 Asset Management Report

The Township's own engineering report says keeping its roads, bridges, watermains, buildings and vehicles in their current condition costs about $2,039,050 a year, and the capital budget has about $1,154,164 a year. It says that leaves a gap of $816,786 a year, and that closing it by taxes alone would take a tax increase of about 19% above inflation, phased in over five years.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources

Worth askingRising costs

What will replacing Structure #69 on Fansher Road cost, and why did the date move from 2026 to 2027?

$350,000 + $300,000set aside for Structure #69 in the 2025 and 2026 budgets (worked out by us: $650,000)

Structure #69 is the crossing of the Lomax Drain at Fansher Road. The March 2025 newsletter said Council was putting $350,000 into reserves to replace it "next year". The March 2026 newsletter says another $300,000 is going in and gives the replacement year as 2027.

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

Show 5 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingRising costs

Why has the fixed part of the water bill gone from $50 to $90 in two years?

$50 to $90bi-monthly water flat rate, 2024 to 2026

The Township's newsletters show the water price per cubic meter rising from $3.92 to $4.33 for 2025 and to $4.68 for 2026. The fixed charge on each bill (the flat rate every two months) rose from $50 to $70 and then to $90. Worked out by us, the flat rate is up 80% in two years and the per-meter price is up about 19%.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources

Worth askingSpending level

Is $1.1 million a year for gravel on the Township's roads the right amount?

$1.1 milliongravel in the 2026 loose-top road program

The Township's newsletters say the loose-top road program cost $1.2 million in its March 2025 issue (gravel $1 million) and $1.3 million in March 2026 (gravel $1.1 million). The asset report says the Township has 412.6 km of gravel roads out of about 479 km of roads.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources

Good to knowRecord-keeping

Why did the 2023 audited surplus come in at $53,015 against a budgeted $667,000?

$53,015audited 2023 annual surplus, against a budgeted $667,000

The 2023 statements print a budgeted annual surplus of $667,000 and an actual one of $53,015. The Township explains the two are not measured the same way: the budget counts capital spending as an expense and leaves out amortization (the yearly wear-and-tear charge on buildings, roads and equipment). Amortization was $527,634. Worked out by us, subtracting it from $667,000 leaves $139,366, so about $86,351 of the gap to $53,015 is not explained by amortization alone.

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

Good to knowMoney health

Why did the general reserve fall from $587,199 to $154,197 in 2023?

$154,197general reserve at December 31, 2023, down from $587,199

A reserve is money council sets aside for a purpose. In 2023 the general reserve dropped by $433,002 (worked out by us) while other reserves, including working capital, fire equipment and cultural and recreation, rose. Total reserves went up slightly, from $4,123,903 to $4,265,224.

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

2023 tax year · Dawn-Euphemia, 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 Dawn-Euphemia'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 Dawn-Euphemia.

a year in property tax, at 2023 rates

  • Dawn-Euphemia
  • County or region
  • Schools

Dawn-Euphemia council sets only its own share. County or region sets its share, the Province sets the school rate.

See what your Dawn-Euphemia share pays forHide the breakdown

Roughly what your Dawn-Euphemia share pays for

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

An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Dawn-Euphemia's share by what each service cost in 2023 after its own fees and grants (for example, water bills pay for much of a water system). Real bills also depend on your property class, local charges and any rebates.

  • 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.

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