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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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

Your town, in plain words

How Latchford uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Latchford's budget, taxes and council decisions. A small town on Highway 11 in Timiskaming District, with a mayor and six councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Your typical 2024 property tax bill$2,017on a $160K home88% Town12% SchoolsSee your tax bill explained →
Town spending, 2024$1.6MAbout $7,642 per household, up 1.7% from 2023.See the money →
Property tax change+3.9%Latchford's own property tax came to $980K in 2024, against $943K in 2023.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Running the town office$469K · 30%
Water, sewers and garbage$465K · 30%
Roads and snow$282K · 18%
Police, fire and safety$136K · 9%
Show all 9 servicesShow fewer
Health$113K · 7%
Parks, arena and library$50,421 · 3%
Housing$34,440 · 2%
Social services$18,569 · 1%
Planning and business$5,636 · 0%

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

A fair comparisonHow does Latchford compare?Among 28 similar Ontario towns, Latchford's day-to-day spending per household is on the high side.Latchford is here · 22 of 28, lowest to highestCompare Latchford →

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 10 questions
Worth askingHow decisions are made

Why was a $416,118.75 paving contract approved in February 2026 for road work that the 2025 statements show as finished?

$416,118.75plus HST, approved on February 10, 2026 for road work priced on May 21, 2025

The Town's 2025 financial statements say it signed a road paving contract in 2025 with a total price of $416,119 and that "The work has been completed in full". Council's minutes show the vote to approve it, as "not included in the budget", on February 10, 2026. The contractor's price letter attached to the by-law is dated May 21, 2025, which is about nine months earlier (worked out by us). The 2025 budget for buying or building things that last (capital) was $8,250. The Town actually spent $581,290.

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

Worth askingMoney health

Why did the Town's debt rise from $368,158 to $611,082 in 2025, and how will the larger yearly payments be covered?

$611,082owed on loans and instalment contracts at the end of 2025, up from $368,158

Debt (money the Town owes on loans and instalment contracts) rose by $242,924 in 2025, to $611,082. The Town went from owing $60,069 more than it held in financial assets (net debt) to $286,071. The Town paid down $51,439 of debt principal in 2025. The statements list $106,757 of principal due in 2026 and about $110,000 in each of 2027 and 2028, roughly double what it paid in 2025 (worked out by us).

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

Worth askingMoney health

What is the plan now that the Town's statements report its landfill as full, and who will pay to close it?

0 cubic metresof landfill space left, according to the 2025 statements, which carry $259,882 for closing it

The 2024 statements said the landfill had 888 cubic metres of space left and was "estimated to reach capacity in 2025". The 2025 statements say the remaining space is 0 cubic metres. The Town has booked $259,882 for closing the landfill and looking after it for five years. The newest capacity study the Town mentions is dated February 28, 2018. The adopted 2026 budget has $70,000 for a landfill study required by the province's environment ministry.

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

Worth askingSpending level

Does the water and sewer system pay its own way, or do property taxes cover a yearly gap like the $153,202 of 2024?

$153,202water and sewer deficit in 2024, "recovered from Town's general revenues"

The Town's statements include a separate page for the water and sewer system. For 2024 it shows a yearly deficit of $153,202 (after $179,344 in 2023), which the page says is "recovered from Town's general revenues", meaning taxes and other money. The 2025 page shows user fees of $274,790 against wages of $203,636 and materials of $188,270. The Town's own budget workbook says the water system "S/B self sufficient". Council passed the 2026 water and sewer rates on July 14, 2026, after tabling them on June 16, 2026. The rates are dated back to January 1, 2026.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources

Show 6 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingRising costs

Why did the cost of roads and snow grow 51% in 5 years?

+51%roads and snow, 2019 to 2024

Latchford spent $187K on roads and snow in 2019 and $282K in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 5 of 27 similar towns had faster growth here.

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

Worth askingMoney health

Does Latchford have enough saved for repairs and emergencies?

$319Kin savings at the end of 2024

Towns keep savings (called reserves) to pay for new trucks, roof repairs and surprises. Latchford had $319K saved at the end of 2024, up from $276K in 2019. That is 20% of one year's spending. Only 3 of 27 similar towns had less, compared with what they spend.

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

Good to knowOpenness

Why were the 2025 audited statements, accepted on August 18, 2026, not on the Town's statements page seven weeks later?

Aug 18, 2026date council accepted the 2025 statements, which were not on the statements page on October 7, 2026

Council accepted the 2025 financial statements "as presented" on August 18, 2026. They are inside that meeting's agenda package, with a clean opinion. When we read the Town's Financial Statements page on October 7, 2026 it listed only 2024 and 2023. The auditors' report in the agenda copy has a date line that reads "June , 2025", with no day.

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

Good to knowHow decisions are made

How often does council meet in private, and how will the new closed session policy change what residents are told afterwards?

3 of 4regular meetings from May to August 2026 with a closed session

Council held a closed session at three of its four regular meetings from May to August 2026, each lasting roughly an hour. The minutes give the reason only in general terms (staff matters and labour relations) and record no direction afterwards. Council passed a Closed Session Meeting Policy on July 14, 2026.

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

Good to knowRecord-keeping

Why do two pages of the 2025 statements show total revenue $926 apart?

$926gap between two printed 2025 revenue totals

The 2025 statement of operations shows total revenues of $2,061,472. The budget note later in the same statements shows $2,062,398 for the same year. The difference is $926 (worked out by us), the same size as an "Investment Income" line printed in brackets (a negative amount) on the statement of operations.

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

2024 tax year · Latchford, 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 Latchford'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 Latchford.

Source

a year in property tax, at 2024 rates

  • Latchford
  • Schools

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

See what your Latchford share pays forHide the breakdown

Roughly what your Latchford share pays for

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

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