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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Huntsville'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.
A clear, checkable guide to Huntsville's budget, taxes and council decisions. A lower-tier town in the District of Muskoka, with a mayor and eight councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
4.87%estimated Town tax rate increase for 2026 (4.84% for 2025), against a Council cap of 4.99%
The Town's two-year budget raises the Town's share of the property tax rate by an estimated 4.84% for 2025 and 4.87% for 2026. Those figures are after counting growth from new homes and buildings (about 2.59% and 2.11%). The Town's own policy lets the yearly increase run between inflation (2.7% in July 2024) and twice that, and Council set the top at 4.99%. The Mayor's 2026 budget shows the total to be raised from property taxes (the levy) going from $23,649,401 to $25,320,722, up $1,671,321. The Town has explained its reasons: more money for roads and other capital, a staff pay review, and $230,000 a year toward a hospital pledge.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
$4,335,000less capital spent in 2024 than budgeted, per the Town's year-end report
Capital means large, long-lasting purchases such as roads, bridges, buildings and trucks. The Town's unaudited 2024 year-end report says it spent $9,641,000 on capital, which was $4,335,000 less than budget. The same report says the plan was to take $4,011,000 out of reserves (savings set aside for later use) and in the end $2,180,000 went into them instead. The Town's 2026 first-quarter report says about $3,530,000 of projects were carried forward from 2025 and $1,550,000 is being put off to later years. At the same time the capital part of the property tax levy goes from $7,816,201 in 2025 to $8,624,921 in 2026.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
$24,174,500capital forecast for 2027, against $8,462,440 for 2026
The Town's five-year capital forecast, printed on December 6, 2024, shows $11,974,440 for 2025, $8,462,440 for 2026 and $24,174,500 for 2027. Operations accounts for $20,519,500 of the 2027 figure. One line, "Operations - Facilities - Madill Yard", is $8,000,000 in the 2027 column, and a sand and salt storage shed is $1,520,000. The budget report says the Town has not borrowed through a new debenture (a long-term loan) since 2010. It also says staff are looking at an Operations Centre, a fire station and more library space, that these are left out of 2025 and 2026, and that they "would require debenture funding". We did not find where the Town says whether the Madill Yard line is the Operations Centre.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 7 sources
$224,000less Lake of Bays shared service revenue forecast for 2026 than budgeted
Huntsville and the Township of Lake of Bays share one fire department. The 2025-2026 budget asked Lake of Bays for a larger share of the cost, and the Town said this "significantly reduced the net levy impact for Fire Services". The Town's first-quarter 2026 report refers to "the conclusion of the Fire Services Agreement with the Township of Lake of Bays", calls the drop in shared service revenue "a structural change to the Town's revenue base", and forecasts $224,000 less shared service revenue than budgeted. The fire department is forecast to finish 2026 $138,999 over its budget of $1,468,919.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$428,349forecast 2026 deficit at the first quarter (May 27, 2026 report)
A deficit means spending more than the budget allows. The Town's first-quarter report to General Committee on May 27, 2026 forecasts a deficit of $428,349 on a budget of $25,320,722. The report lists causes: lower revenue from Lake of Bays for fire services, more snow plowing and street sweeping, a smaller dividend from Lakeland Holding Ltd. (the electric utility the Town part-owns) and lower building permit revenue. The Town has offset some of it with extra provincial funding. For 2024 the Town's year-end report showed a surplus of $720,000, most of it from interest earned on savings at high rates.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
($1,465,097)forecast Fleet Capital reserve balance on December 31, 2026
Reserves are savings that Council sets aside for later use. The Town's first-quarter 2026 reserve forecast shows several below zero at the end of 2026: Fleet Capital (1,465,097) after starting the year at (798,805), IT Capital Replacement (657,502) after (46,647), the Building Department (892,841) after starting at 118,097, and Muskoka Heritage Place capital (201,707). The Town says the Building Department is expected to be about $900,000 below zero because building permit revenue has fallen. We found no reason for the fleet and IT balances in the pages we read. All reserves together are forecast to fall from $27,883,204 to $25,487,485.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$5,072,7672024 surplus in the audited statements, against $720,000 in the year-end report
The Town's audited statements show an annual surplus of $5,072,767 for 2024, against a budgeted $3,176,813. The Town's year-end report says it ended 2024 with a surplus of $720,000. These measure different things. The audited statements are on an accrual basis, which counts the cost of using up roads and buildings (amortization) as an expense and does not count buying new ones. The year-end report compares the tax levy the Council budgeted with the one actually used. The Town's own note shows how the budget moves from one view to the other, but the actual 2024 results are not laid out the same way.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
52.83%increase in Council and Administration contracted services in the 2026 budget
Contracted services means work bought from outside companies. In the Mayor's 2026 budget this line in Council and Administration rises by $1,004,601, while transfers from reserves in the same division rise from $86,223 to $952,310. The Town's first-quarter report gives a likely reason: a financial software replacement, with $600,000 for software and $100,000 for consulting, which the Town now says it will put off until 2027 and fund from the Corporate Software Reserve. The Mayor's budget itself does not explain the line.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
Where your tax bill goes
A property tax bill in Huntsville pays for three governments. Only part of it goes to the town, and that part is what Huntsville council controls.
Tax bill split: Huntsville 41%, County or region 43%, Schools 17%
$59.1Mraised in 2025
Huntsville41%
County or region43%
Schools17%
How Huntsville's share of the bill compares with similar towns
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