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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Dysart et al'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 / Dysart et alUpdated Oct 5, 2026

Your town, in plain words

How Dysart et al uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Dysart et al's budget, taxes and council decisions. A municipality in Haliburton County with a mayor, a deputy mayor and five wards (one ward seat vacant until the end of the term). Every figure links back to the public record.

Your typical 2024 property tax bill$3,118on a $420K home45% Town34% County21% SchoolsSee your tax bill explained →
Town spending, 2024$13.8MAbout $1,704 per household, down 5.6% from 2023.See the money →
Property tax change+8.3%Dysart et al's own property tax came to $12.5M in 2024, against $11.5M in 2023.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Police, fire and safety$3.9M · 28%
Roads and snow$3.4M · 25%
Parks, arena and library$2.3M · 17%
Running the town office$1.9M · 14%
Show all 7 servicesShow fewer
Water, sewers and garbage$1.3M · 9%
Planning and business$791K · 6%
Health$187K · 1%

Day-to-day spending in 2024, from Dysart et al's report to the Province.

A fair comparisonHow does Dysart et al compare?Among 83 similar Ontario towns, Dysart et al's day-to-day spending per household is on the low side.Dysart et al is here · 1 of 83, lowest to highestCompare Dysart et al →

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 7 questions
Worth askingMoney health

Council budgeted $4,370,000 of new borrowing for 2025 and borrowed $415,176. How will the unfunded road work and the land loan due March 1, 2027 be paid for?

$1,251,686balance of the land loan at December 31, 2025, due March 1, 2027

The 2025 budget planned to buy $8,001,930 of new buildings, roads and equipment and to borrow $4,370,000 to help pay for it. The statements show $4,343,712 of purchases and $415,176 of new debt. The statements also show $861,620 of "unfunded capital" for transportation projects that "will be funded through a future debenture" (a debenture is a loan sold to investors or a lender). One existing loan, for land, had a balance of $1,251,686 at the end of 2025 and is due March 1, 2027. The Municipality's net financial assets (what it has in the bank and owed to it, less what it owes) fell from $1,256,768 to $249,169 in 2025.

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

Worth askingMoney health

Why did the cost of closing Dysart's landfill sites go up by $2,200,501 in a year, after dropping the year before?

$6,542,913asset retirement obligation at December 31, 2025, up from $4,342,412

The Municipality runs six landfill sites. The law and accounting rules make it record the future cost of closing them and looking after them for 25 years afterward. That total (the "asset retirement obligation") was $4,342,412 at the end of 2024 and is $6,542,913 at the end of 2025. Of the rise, $1,668,801 is a re-estimate of the landfill cost and $531,700 is "accretion" (interest added as the closing date gets closer). In 2024 the same re-estimate went the other way, down by $2,781,484. Spending on environmental services (sewers, waste and recycling) was $1,743,900 in 2024 and $4,291,087 in 2025, against a 2025 budget of $4,129,939. The increase of $2,200,501 in the obligation is worked out by us from the two printed balances.

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

Worth askingRising costs

Why did "Rents and financial" spending come in at $548,221 when the budget was $17,400?

$548,221"Rents and financial" in 2025, against a budget of $17,400

The statements break spending down by type. "Rents and financial" was budgeted at $17,400 for 2025 and came in at $548,221. In 2024 it was $150,671. The same table shows "Interest charges" of $84,230 in 2025 against $507,079 in 2024. Elsewhere the statements show "Accretion expense" of $531,700 in 2025 (from the landfill obligation). The statements do not say which line the accretion sits in. We noticed that the amount is close to the gap, but we cannot tell from the page whether they are the same money.

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

Worth askingOpenness

Why were 2024's statements restated for capital assets left out "in error", and why was the 2025 audit finished a month later than the year before?

$635,464capital additions not previously recorded, found when 2024 was restated

The 2025 statements say the Municipality "restated its 2024 financial statements for tangible capital asset entries that were previously ommitted in error" (the word is spelled that way in the statements). The adjustments include capital additions of $635,464 not previously recorded and amortization (the yearly wearing-out charge) of $437,431 not previously recorded. The restated 2024 annual surplus is $3,162,303; it had been $3,174,827. The audit also changed hands. The 2025 statements were audited by Baker Tilly KDN LLP, who note that 2024 was audited by another auditor whose opinion was dated June 24, 2025. The 2025 opinion is dated July 30, 2026. The 2025 opinion is clean ("present fairly").

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

Show 3 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingMoney health

Dysart's own plan says it needs $6.5 million a year for its roads, buildings and sewers and sets aside about $2.6 million. How will it close the gap?

$3.9 millionannual capital infrastructure deficit, per the Municipality's 2025 Asset Management Plan

The 2025 Asset Management Plan (the Municipality's plan for looking after what it owns) values the assets at $265 million. It says the average yearly amount needed to keep them in repair is $6.5 million and that the Municipality is putting about $2.6 million a year toward capital projects or reserves. It reports an annual capital infrastructure deficit of $3.9 million, a 0.99% reinvestment rate, and a backlog of $22.7 million of assets still in use past their expected life. The plan recommends a 2.2% yearly increase in revenue over 10 years for the tax-funded part and 5.1% for sewer revenue. Separately, the statements show reserves and reserve funds, including a "Development fund" of $7,401,391 at the end of 2025.

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

Worth askingMoney health

Does Dysart et al have enough saved for repairs and emergencies?

$7.8Min savings at the end of 2024

Towns keep savings (called reserves) to pay for new trucks, roof repairs and surprises. Dysart et al had $7.8M saved at the end of 2024, up from $4.4M in 2019. That is 57% of one year's spending. Only 16 of 82 similar towns had less, compared with what they spend.

Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources

Good to knowSpending level

Why was interest on savings $617,383 in 2025 when the budget was $190,000?

$617,383investment income in 2025, against a budget of $190,000

"Investment income" (interest earned on the Municipality's cash, investments and reserves) was budgeted at $190,000 for 2025 and came in at $617,383. It was $541,899 in 2024, so the budget looks low compared with the year before. At the end of 2025 the Municipality held cash and cash equivalents of $6,676,212 and investments of $3,337,176. Its own "Municipality" fund shows a deficit of $133,527 in the accumulated surplus note, and taxes receivable grew from $2,061,045 to $2,518,381.

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

2024 tax year · Dysart et al, 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 Dysart et al'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 Dysart et al.

Source

a year in property tax, at 2024 rates

  • Dysart et al
  • County or region
  • Schools

Dysart et al council sets only its own share. County or region sets its share, the Province sets the school rate.

See what your Dysart et al share pays forHide the breakdown

Roughly what your Dysart et al share pays for

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

An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Dysart et al's share by what each service cost in 2024 after its own fees and grants (for example, water bills pay for much of a water system). Real bills also depend on your property class, local charges and any rebates.

  • Every fact, sourced

    Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.

  • No accusations

    We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.

  • Compared fairly

    Towns are only compared with places of a similar size and kind, from the same yearly reports.

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