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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Goderich'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 · 7 so far
Things worth asking about
We read Goderich's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 39 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.
$181,363.00budgeted for Members of Council in 2024, up from $145,286.00 in the 2023 budget
The 2024 budget book gives council its own line, Members of Council. In the 2023 budget, council salaries were $92,268.00. For 2024 the budget is $125,479.00, a rise of $33,211.00. Honoraria (small yearly payments) go from $5,000.00 to $11,000.00, and benefits from $5,068.00 to $8,884.00. The whole department goes from $145,286.00 to $181,363.00. In 2023 the Town actually spent $130,974.90. We did not find the Town's reason for the rise in the budget book.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$183,950.14spent on boundary adjustment in 2023, against a budget of $75,000.00
The budget book has a line called Boundary Adjustment Expense under Corporate Economic Development. It was $89,695.66 in 2022. For 2023 the Town budgeted $75,000.00 and spent $183,950.14. The 2024 budget is $185,000.00. The Town's own note says $85,000.00 of the 2024 amount is for "Central Huron" and $100,000.00 comes from the Water Expansion Reserve Fund. A boundary adjustment is a change to the line between two municipalities. The budget book does not say what is being adjusted, when it ends, or the total expected cost.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$2,081,600.00net cost of Recreation in the 2024 budget, up from $1,497,062.00 in the 2023 budget
In the 2024 budget book, the Recreation department's net cost goes from $1,497,062.00 (2023 budget) to $2,081,600.00, a rise of $584,538.00. Two lines move in opposite directions. "Other Professional Services" was $1,018,194.57 in 2022, $1,312,354.00 in the 2023 budget and $1,078,339.96 in 2023, and falls to $316,061.00 for 2024. Salaries were $26,082.00 in the 2023 budget and $145,439.29 in 2023, and are $529,873.00 for 2024. The Town's notes list a YMCA operating budget in the contract line. They do not say that the work moved from a contract to Town staff, so that is what we are asking.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$146,276.00net cost of the Memorial Arena in the 2024 budget, a new department
The 2024 budget book has a department called Memorial Arena. Its net cost in 2024 is $146,276.00. The columns for 2022 and 2023 are blank (shown as dashes), so it is new to the budget. The Town's notes include $30,000.00 of "Professional fees - Memorial Arena Task Force". The budget book does not say what the arena was before, why it now costs the Town money, or what the task force is to decide.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
2024the newest approved operating budget book we could read online
The Town's budget page says its audited financial statements are available on request at Town Hall. We did not find them posted as a document. The page also lists a 2025 Approved Budget and a 2025 Operating Budget schedule, but the web addresses it gives for those two documents returned a page-not-found response when we tried on October 5, 2026. The 2026 documents posted are labelled draft. The newest approved operating budget book we could read was the 2024 budget, so none of this article's figures describe 2025 or 2026.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source
$99,262.93spent on other professional services in General Administration in 2023, after $9,859.56 in 2022
The Town explained the 2023 budget of $153,529.64 in its notes: a pay equity and compensation review ($50,000.00), a strategic plan ($40,000.00), document management help ($44,529.64) and smaller items. Actual spending in 2023 was $99,262.93, which is $54,266.71 less than the budget (worked out by us). The 2024 budget returns to $14,000.00. Because the Town has explained the jump, this is for information. The open question is which of the planned items were finished.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$30,315.23total council expenses for 2025, of which the mayor's share is $12,836.72
The Town posts a yearly list of what council and staff spent on conferences and meetings. For 2025 the council total is $30,315.23. The mayor's share is $12,836.72, which is about 42% of it (worked out by us). The deputy mayor's is $5,830.98. The other five members are between $43.25 and $3,152.15. The list shows each event, so residents can see the reasons. The question is only whether the mayor's wider travel is what the Town expects of that office.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$181,363.00budgeted for Members of Council in 2024, up from $145,286.00 in the 2023 budget
The 2024 budget book gives council its own line, Members of Council. In the 2023 budget, council salaries were $92,268.00. For 2024 the budget is $125,479.00, a rise of $33,211.00. Honoraria (small yearly payments) go from $5,000.00 to $11,000.00, and benefits from $5,068.00 to $8,884.00. The whole department goes from $145,286.00 to $181,363.00. In 2023 the Town actually spent $130,974.90. We did not find the Town's reason for the rise in the budget book.
Why it matters
Council sets its own pay. A rise this size is allowed, and many councils review pay at the start of a term, but residents are entitled to see how it was decided and whether it was a one-time catch-up or a new yearly level.
It could be because…
Council may have asked for an independent pay review and adopted its recommendation, with the 2024 budget carrying the first full year.
Pay may have been held flat for several years and this may be a catch-up to what similar towns pay.
Benefits such as the Canada Pension Plan and employer health tax rise with pay, so part of the increase follows from the salary line.
The 2023 actual of $130,974.90 was already above the 2023 budget, so part of the gap may be pay that had already changed during 2023.
Questions you could ask
What decision of council set the pay and honoraria behind the 2024 budget line, and on what date was it made in public?
Was an outside pay review done, and can residents see it?
What is the plan for council pay after the October 26, 2026 election?
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 Goderich?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Members of Council (department 1010), salaries (account 71000): 2022 actual $84,151.32; 2023 budget $92,268.00; 2023 actual $88,873.00; 2024 budget $125,479.00; budget change $33,211.00. Honoraria via Payroll (71080): 2023 budget $5,000.00; 2024 budget $11,000.00. Benefits (71500): 2023 budget $5,068.00; 2024 budget $8,884.00.
Members of Council, "TOTAL NET DEPARTMENT EXPENDITURES": 2022 actual $126,693.25; 2023 budget $145,286.00; 2023 actual $130,974.90; 2024 budget $181,363.00; budget change $36,077.00. Salaries up 36.0% and the whole department up 24.8% against the 2023 budget (worked out by us).
$183,950.14spent on boundary adjustment in 2023, against a budget of $75,000.00
The budget book has a line called Boundary Adjustment Expense under Corporate Economic Development. It was $89,695.66 in 2022. For 2023 the Town budgeted $75,000.00 and spent $183,950.14. The 2024 budget is $185,000.00. The Town's own note says $85,000.00 of the 2024 amount is for "Central Huron" and $100,000.00 comes from the Water Expansion Reserve Fund. A boundary adjustment is a change to the line between two municipalities. The budget book does not say what is being adjusted, when it ends, or the total expected cost.
Why it matters
A cost that runs well over budget and is then budgeted at the higher level should have a clear end date and total. Without one, residents cannot tell whether this is a one-off or a long-running bill.
It could be because…
The adjustment may involve a legal agreement with the neighbouring municipality that sets payments over several years, which would explain why it was budgeted at $185,000.00.
Part of the cost is paid from the Water Expansion Reserve Fund, which suggests water or sewer service to the land that moved.
The 2023 budget may simply have been set before the final amount was known.
Questions you could ask
What is being adjusted, with which municipality, and under what agreement?
What is the total cost expected and when does it end?
Why was the 2023 budget $75,000.00 when the year ended at $183,950.14?
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 Goderich?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The whole department, "TOTAL NET DEPARTMENT EXPENDITURES": 2022 actual $143,116.37; 2023 budget $201,739.00; 2023 actual $340,199.88; 2024 budget $315,271.00; budget change $113,532.00. Interest on borrowing in the same department (account 73205): 2023 budget $51,342.00; 2023 actual $80,594.51; 2024 budget $75,768.00.
2024 Budget (Approved Budget book) · PDF page 65, Corporate Economic Development, total net department expenditures and account 01 8490 73205
$2,081,600.00net cost of Recreation in the 2024 budget, up from $1,497,062.00 in the 2023 budget
In the 2024 budget book, the Recreation department's net cost goes from $1,497,062.00 (2023 budget) to $2,081,600.00, a rise of $584,538.00. Two lines move in opposite directions. "Other Professional Services" was $1,018,194.57 in 2022, $1,312,354.00 in the 2023 budget and $1,078,339.96 in 2023, and falls to $316,061.00 for 2024. Salaries were $26,082.00 in the 2023 budget and $145,439.29 in 2023, and are $529,873.00 for 2024. The Town's notes list a YMCA operating budget in the contract line. They do not say that the work moved from a contract to Town staff, so that is what we are asking.
Why it matters
Recreation is one of the largest lines on the tax bill. If operation of a facility moves in-house, residents should see the full before-and-after cost, because pay and benefits arrive in different lines from the contract they replace.
It could be because…
The Town may have taken over running part of the facility from an outside manager in 2023 and 2024, which would move cost from the contract line to the salary line.
The earlier contract figures may have included money the manager collected and passed through, so they would not be a fair comparison with the new, smaller line.
The jump in the department's total expenditures also includes a one-time $1,150,000.00 pool dehumidifier replacement and a $90,000.00 room refresh, which the budget funds from the Recreation Reserve. That part is not extra tax.
Questions you could ask
Did the Town take over operation of any part of the recreation facility, and when?
What is the total yearly cost to the Town of the facility, counting both staff and any contract?
Can the Town publish the agreement with the YMCA and the report to council on the 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 Goderich?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Recreation, "TOTAL NET DEPARTMENT EXPENDITURES": 2022 actual $1,374,966.60; 2023 budget $1,497,062.00; 2023 actual $1,628,651.25; 2024 budget $2,081,600.00; budget change $584,538.00.
Notes to account 73750: "YMCA Operating Budget $200,561.00", an association fee of $80,000.00, minor capital requests of $35,500.00, total $316,061.00. Notes to account 71000: facility operators $478,509.00 and parks staff cutting sports field grass $51,364.00, total $529,873.00. Transfer from Recreation Reserve $1,150,000.00 "to fund pool dehumidifier replacement".
$146,276.00net cost of the Memorial Arena in the 2024 budget, a new department
The 2024 budget book has a department called Memorial Arena. Its net cost in 2024 is $146,276.00. The columns for 2022 and 2023 are blank (shown as dashes), so it is new to the budget. The Town's notes include $30,000.00 of "Professional fees - Memorial Arena Task Force". The budget book does not say what the arena was before, why it now costs the Town money, or what the task force is to decide.
Why it matters
A new yearly cost for a large building is the kind of decision that normally comes with a public report. Residents should be able to see what the Town now owns or runs, what it costs and what is planned.
It could be because…
The building may have been run by a community group or another body until 2023, with the Town taking over costs in 2024.
Costs may have been carried in another department before and moved to their own line to make them easier to see.
The task force fee suggests the Town is studying the arena's future, which may explain why costs were set aside before a decision.
Questions you could ask
What did council decide about the Memorial Arena, and on what date?
Who owned and ran it before 2024?
What is the Memorial Arena Task Force asked to decide, and when will it report?
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 Goderich?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Memorial Arena (department 6003), "TOTAL NET DEPARTMENT EXPENDITURES": 2022 actual $ -; 2023 budget $ -; 2023 actual $ -; 2024 budget $146,276.00; budget change $146,276.00.
Note to account 73750: "Professional fees - Memorial Arena Task Force $30,000.00". Note to account 51054: rental of the arena auditorium and arena floor $(9,000.00).
2024the newest approved operating budget book we could read online
The Town's budget page says its audited financial statements are available on request at Town Hall. We did not find them posted as a document. The page also lists a 2025 Approved Budget and a 2025 Operating Budget schedule, but the web addresses it gives for those two documents returned a page-not-found response when we tried on October 5, 2026. The 2026 documents posted are labelled draft. The newest approved operating budget book we could read was the 2024 budget, so none of this article's figures describe 2025 or 2026.
Why it matters
Audited statements are the independent check on what the Town says it spent. When they are only available on request, residents who cannot visit Town Hall during office hours cannot read them.
It could be because…
The Town may have moved its 2025 budget files when it changed website and may fix the broken addresses when told.
Offering the statements on request may be a long-standing practice that nobody has updated for the web.
The adopted 2026 budget may be posted somewhere we did not look, such as a council agenda.
Questions you could ask
Will the Town post the audited consolidated financial statements for 2024 and 2025 on its website?
Will the Town fix the links for the 2025 approved budget and publish the adopted 2026 budget?
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 Goderich?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Under the heading "Financial Statements:" the page says: "Audited Financial Statements are available upon request at Town Hall, at no cost to any taxpayer or resident of the Town of Goderich." The same page lists budget documents for 2026 (labelled draft), 2025, 2024 and 2023.
$99,262.93spent on other professional services in General Administration in 2023, after $9,859.56 in 2022
The Town explained the 2023 budget of $153,529.64 in its notes: a pay equity and compensation review ($50,000.00), a strategic plan ($40,000.00), document management help ($44,529.64) and smaller items. Actual spending in 2023 was $99,262.93, which is $54,266.71 less than the budget (worked out by us). The 2024 budget returns to $14,000.00. Because the Town has explained the jump, this is for information. The open question is which of the planned items were finished.
Why it matters
Outside advice is paid for once, but the reports it produces should be seen by the people who paid for them.
It could be because…
The 2023 budget was a plan for one-time projects, so the line is expected to fall back in 2024.
Some of the planned work may have moved into 2024, which the notes for 2024 do not show.
Questions you could ask
Which of the 2023 projects were finished, and are the reports public?
Was the unspent part of the budget returned to the reserves it was drawn from?
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 Goderich?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
General Administration (department 1020), Other Professional Services (account 73750): 2022 actual $9,859.56; 2023 budget $153,529.64; 2023 actual $99,262.93; 2024 budget $14,000.00; budget change $(139,529.64).
Note to account 73750 in the 2023 budget: "Employee Group Evaluation, Pay Equity and Compensation Review $50,000.00", "Strategic Plan $40,000.00", "Document management assistance $44,529.64", total "$153,529.64".
$30,315.23total council expenses for 2025, of which the mayor's share is $12,836.72
The Town posts a yearly list of what council and staff spent on conferences and meetings. For 2025 the council total is $30,315.23. The mayor's share is $12,836.72, which is about 42% of it (worked out by us). The deputy mayor's is $5,830.98. The other five members are between $43.25 and $3,152.15. The list shows each event, so residents can see the reasons. The question is only whether the mayor's wider travel is what the Town expects of that office.
Why it matters
Travel and conference costs are small next to the budget, but they are a place where residents can see directly how council spends. Posting the list is good practice.
It could be because…
Mayors usually attend more regional, business and government meetings than other members.
Each line names the event, so residents can judge whether each one served the Town.
A $5,115.00 per diem total is a payment, not travel.
Questions you could ask
Does the Town have a written policy that sets what the mayor and councillors may claim?
Will the Town publish the 2026 full-year list in time for voters before the October 26, 2026 election?
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 Goderich?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"Total Council Expenses From January 1 - December 31, 2025": registration fee $8,329.88; accommodations $9,780.54; travel $6,112.23; meals and miscellaneous $977.58; per diem $5,115.00; total $30,315.23.
Mayor Trevor Bazinet, total expenses: $2,468.50 registration; $4,325.70 accommodations; $3,350.02 travel; $688.50 meals; $2,004.00 per diem; $12,836.72 in all. Deputy Mayor Leah Noel, total $5,830.98.
Councillor totals: Councillor John Thompson, Total $3,152.15; Councillor Vanessa McMillan, Total $43.25 (one "Mayors Luncheon" $43.25). The other councillors: Liz Petrie $3,123.68, Allison Segeren $2,968.37, Randy Carroll $2,360.08.
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