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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Kearney'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 / KearneyUpdated Oct 7, 2026

Your town, in plain words

How Kearney uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Kearney's budget, taxes and council decisions. A town in the District of Parry Sound, with a mayor and four councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Your typical 2024 property tax bill$3,718on a $320K home87% Town13% SchoolsSee your tax bill explained →
Town spending, 2024$4.2MAbout $3,503 per household, up 3.2% from 2023.See the money →
Property tax change+8.3%Kearney's own property tax came to $4.1M in 2024, against $3.8M in 2023.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Running the town office$982K · 23%
Police, fire and safety$966K · 23%
Roads and snow$953K · 23%
Water, sewers and garbage$417K · 10%
Show all 8 servicesShow fewer
Parks, arena and library$346K · 8%
Social services$330K · 8%
Health$170K · 4%
Planning and business$19,936 · 0%

Day-to-day spending in 2024, from Kearney's report to the Province.

A fair comparisonHow does Kearney compare?Among 51 similar Ontario towns, Kearney's day-to-day spending per household is on the low side.Kearney is here · 8 of 51, lowest to highestCompare Kearney →

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 askingMoney health

Why were three of the Town's savings accounts nearly or fully emptied in 2023, and what is the plan to refill them?

$3,489left in the fire equipment reserve at the end of 2023, from $324,563

A reserve is money a town sets aside on purpose for a future need, such as a fire truck or a building repair. In 2023 the statements show the Town's reserves and reserve funds going from $3,219,905 to $2,698,563. Three of them fell furthest. The fire equipment reserve went from $324,563 to $3,489. The municipal buildings reserve went from $450,000 to $84,338. The modernization funding reserve went from $337,316 to nothing. The 2023 budget had planned a larger decrease in reserves, of $858,004, so the Town drew down less than it planned overall.

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

Worth askingRising costs

What was written off or sold in 2023 that produced a loss of $235,481 when none was budgeted?

$235,481loss on disposal of tangible capital assets in 2023, with no amount budgeted

When a town sells or retires an asset for less than its recorded value, the statements show a loss. This is mostly an accounting entry, not cash leaving the bank. The 2023 statements show a loss on disposal of tangible capital assets of $235,481, with nothing budgeted for it. In 2022 the same line was a gain of $14,166. The Town received $100 for assets it disposed of in 2023.

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

Worth askingMoney health

How will the Town pay the $395,023 it now records for landfill closure and care?

$395,023asset retirement obligations (mostly landfill) at the end of 2023, up from $309,963

Under a new accounting rule adopted in 2023, the Town records the full future cost of closing and monitoring its two landfill sites as a liability. The liability stood at $395,023 at the end of 2023, up from $309,963. The old Kearney landfill stopped taking waste in 2001, and the Town says care is expected to be needed until 2026. The shared site with the Township of Perry says the committee holds closure reserves of $309,382 to fund its part. We did not find a reserve for the Kearney-only site in the list of reserves.

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

Worth askingRising costs

Why did Kearney's property tax go up 8% in 2024?

+8%town property tax, 2023 to 2024

In 2024, Kearney collected $312K more in its own property tax than in 2023. That is a 8% jump, while prices went up about 2.4%. Only 10 of 50 similar towns raised theirs by more. Almost all of it came from a higher tax rate (up 7% for homes); the value of homes on the tax roll grew only 1.9%.

Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 4 sources

Show 5 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingRising costs

Why did the cost of running the town office grow 68% in 5 years?

+68%running the town office, 2019 to 2024

Kearney spent $586K on running the town office in 2019 and $982K in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 7 of 50 similar towns had faster growth here.

Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources

Good to knowMoney health

How did the Town pay for capital spending that more than doubled in 2023, and how much cash does it have for what is planned next?

$2,892,217spent on tangible capital assets in 2023, against $1,351,897 the year before

Capital spending is money spent on buying or building things that last, such as roads and equipment. The Town spent $2,892,217 on tangible capital assets in 2023, against $1,351,897 in 2022. The 2023 budget planned $3,539,457. Cash went from $4,128,150 to $3,460,626 over the year. The statements show long-term debt of $81,368 at the end of 2023, so most of the spending was not borrowed.

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

Good to knowMoney health

Why did the budget plan to use up the whole general operating surplus in 2023 when the Town used only part of it?

$475,871general operating surplus left at the end of 2023, from $642,811

The general operating surplus is the leftover from past years that a town can use to ease the year's budget. The 2023 budget planned a decrease of $642,811 in it, which was the whole balance at the start of the year. The statements show it went from $642,811 to $475,871. The Town therefore used $166,940 of it, which is less than planned.

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

Good to knowMoney health

How much of the Town's revenue depends on government grants that can change from year to year?

$1,824,516government transfers in 2023, against $1,207,209 in 2022

Government transfers (grants from other governments) were $1,824,516 in 2023, against $1,207,209 in 2022. Property taxes were $3,768,809. Total revenue was $6,047,644, below the $6,323,880 budgeted, and government transfers were below their $2,056,357 budget. Total expenses of $4,823,241 were also below the $4,999,953 budgeted.

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

Good to knowOpenness

Why are the Town's recent budgets, 2024 statements and minutes posted only as pictures of pages?

2023the latest year of audited statements we could read, because later files are pictures

The Town posts its budgets for 2023 to 2026, its 2024 consolidated statements, three of its 2026 council minutes that we opened and its council pay by-law as files that contain only pictures of pages. A person using a screen reader, a search tool or a copy-and-paste cannot read the numbers in them. The 2023 statements, signed by the auditor on September 5, 2024, do have a text layer and are the latest we could read. We did not find 2025 statements.

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

2024 tax year · Kearney, 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 Kearney'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 Kearney.

Source

a year in property tax, at 2024 rates

  • Kearney
  • Schools

Kearney council sets only its own share. the Province sets the school rate.

See what your Kearney share pays forHide the breakdown

Roughly what your Kearney share pays for

Source
  • Running the town office
  • Police, fire and safety
  • Roads and snow
  • Social services
  • Water, sewers and garbage
  • Parks, arena and library
  • Health
  • Planning and business

An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Kearney'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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