Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to Erin's budget, taxes and council decisions. A town of about 12,000 people in Wellington County, with a mayor and four councillors elected at large. Every figure links back to the public record.
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Questions worth asking
Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.
$6.4Mowed in unpaid property tax, end of 2024
At the end of 2024, $6.4M of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 19% of everything billed. Only 1 of 87 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $5.4M.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
-$15,171,601balance of the "WWTP Front Ended Agreements" fund at the end of 2025, in the 2026 budget book
The Town is building a new wastewater plant (it calls it the Water Resource Recovery Facility). The Town says the builders of new housing are paying the costs up front, which is called front-ending. The 2023 audited statements show $23,254,957 of developer money for the plant still held at the end of 2023. The 2026 budget book's reserve table has a fund called "WWTP Front Ended Agreements" at minus $12,111,059 at the end of 2024 and minus $15,171,601 at the end of 2025. A year earlier, the 2025 budget book had expected that fund to hold $27,903,866 at the end of 2024 and $34,122,659 at the end of 2025. A reserve fund is money set aside for a purpose. A minus balance means more has gone out than has come in. We worked out that the end-of-2025 figure is $49,294,260 lower than the 2025 budget book expected (worked out by us). We could not tell from the documents whether the audited line and the budget fund are the same money.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
$30,000,000recreation centre in the 2027 capital plan, funded by development charges
The 2026 budget book lists "Construction of Multi-Use Recreation" at $30,000,000 in 2027, paid for by development charges. Development charges are fees the Town collects from builders of new homes to pay for growth. The Town's reserve table forecasts the recreation development charge fund at $5,654,015 at the end of 2026. The 2025 budget book had put the same $30,000,000 in 2026, so the date has already moved back a year. The budget book also says design and a Class C cost estimate (an early, rough price) for the centre are still to start. So the $30,000,000 may be an early placeholder, not a priced figure. We worked out that the amount is $24,345,985 more than the fund (worked out by us).
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$8,959,005labour costs in the 2026 budget, up from $5,941,674 in the 2024 budget
Labour costs in the budget were $5,941,674 for 2024. The 2025 budget raised them to $8,055,293, and the 2026 budget raises them again to $8,959,005. We worked out that this is a rise of about 51% in two years, or $3,017,331 (worked out by us). The 2026 budget book says the number of staff, counting part-time, contract and co-op students, was 135 in 2024, rose to 168 after new positions were approved in 2025, and is expected to fall to 163 in 2026. The Town's own explanation is growth and pay: it says it brought in new positions to prepare for growth, filled 21 permanent full-time positions, and completed a market review of its wage grid. A message from senior staff in the 2026 budget describes the year as one of "cost containment".
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
$300,000building permit revenue in the 2026 budget, against $1,500,000 in the 2025 budget
The 2025 budget counted on $1,500,000 from building permits, double the year before. The 2026 budget cuts that line to $300,000. The Town explains that new development has slowed, and a message from senior staff in the 2026 budget says housing starts have dropped. To cover the gap in 2026 the Building budget takes $403,451 from reserves. The reserve table then forecasts the "Building Residential" reserve fund at minus $344,139 at the end of 2026. A reserve fund is money set aside for a purpose. The 2025 budget book had forecast building revenue of $1,668,111 for 2026, so the 2026 figure is far from what was expected a year earlier.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$741,517taken from reserves to pay 2026 wastewater costs, up from $183,984
The Town's wastewater budget for 2026 is $1,491,517 of costs. In the 2025 budget it was $183,984, and the 2025 budget book had forecast $187,664 for 2026. The 2026 budget covers the costs with $750,000 of "cost recovery" (charges to users of the new plant) and $741,517 taken from reserves. The Town gives its own explanation: costs rise because of "OCWA operating costs" (OCWA is the operator the budget names for the plant) and cost recovery is up because of new fees for new facilities. We worked out that the 2026 cost is $1,303,853 higher than the 2025 budget book forecast a year earlier (worked out by us).
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$(2,047,439)general deficit in the 2023 budget note, against an annual surplus of $74,994,188
The audited 2023 statements show an annual surplus of $74,994,188. Almost all of it is developer money for the wastewater plant. Note 5 lists $75,326,282 of development charge revenue, and the deferred revenue schedule shows $74,790,328 recognized from developer contributions for the plant. A note called "Budget" then shows a "General surplus (deficit)" of $(2,047,439) for 2023 and $(1,751,082) for 2022. The note says budgets are prepared on a cash basis, which means counting money in and out, and are changed to match the statements. So the headline surplus does not describe how the Town's own day-to-day operations did. Unrestricted cash (cash the Town can spend on anything) rose to $11,490,278 from $2,324,494.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
$1,369,588taken from reserves to balance the 2026 budget, up from $840,179
The 2026 budget raises the Town's tax rate by 3.8%, which the budget says is about $12 per $100,000 of assessment. The "Tax Levy" line in the budget (money raised from property taxes) rises from $10,063,945 to $10,203,000, a rise of $139,055, or about 1.4% (worked out by us). Other lines carry more of the load. Revenue from supplementary taxes (extra tax billed on new buildings during the year) is budgeted at $625,882, up from $253,000. Transfers from reserves rise from $840,179 to $1,369,588. The Tax Stabilization reserve (a fund meant to smooth tax rises) drops from $827,399 at the end of 2024 to a forecast $332,783 at the end of 2026. The 2025 budget book also shows two different 2025 tax levy figures, $10,123,945 and $10,063,945.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
+72%parks, arena and library, 2019 to 2024
Erin spent $1.1M on parks, arena and library in 2019 and $2.0M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 15 of 87 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
+77%police, fire and safety, 2019 to 2024
Erin spent $1.3M on police, fire and safety in 2019 and $2.4M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
2024 tax year · Erin, Ontario
Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what Erin'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 Erin.
a year in property tax, at 2024 rates
Erin council sets only its own share. County or region sets its share, the Province sets the school rate.
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Erin'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.
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Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.
We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.
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