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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Leeds and the Thousand Islands'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 · 11 so far
Things worth asking about
We read Leeds and the Thousand Islands' financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 46 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.
$60.4 millionof capital work the Township's own plan lists over 10 years
The Township's own 10-year plan lists $60.4 million of capital work (things like roads, bridges, fire trucks and buildings). Each year the Township puts part of its tax money into capital reserve funds, which are savings accounts set aside for that work. The plan says there is a funding gap and that the savings would go below zero without new borrowing.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$14.9 milliontotal project budget for the Lansdowne Urbanization Project before it was left out of the 2026 budget
The 2025 budget set aside $8.6 million for a village-wide road and drainage project in Lansdowne, in a total project budget of $14.9 million. The Township applied for a provincial grant to pay half and planned to borrow the other half. It did not get the grant, so the project is not in the 2026 budget and its 2025 budget was released.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$1,133,500to be taken from reserve funds in the draft 2026 operating budget
The draft 2026 operating budget takes $1,133,500 out of reserve funds, which are savings set aside by the Township. Some of it pays for one-time studies. Some of it, from the Tax Stabilization fund, is meant to soften the tax increase. The Township's levy, which is the amount it raises from property taxes, has grown from $10,779,400 in 2022 to $13,520,300 in 2026.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$875,000budgeted casino revenue for 2026, down from $950,000 in 2025
The Township gets a share of casino revenue under an agreement with the provincial gaming agency. It has used that money to keep taxes low and pay for capital projects without much borrowing. Budgeted casino revenue is $875,000 for 2026, down from $950,000 in 2025, and the Township says it has fallen since a high of $1.75 million in 2016.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
Leeds and the Thousand Islands spent $2.4M on roads and snow in 2019 and $3.5M in 2025. Prices only went up about 21% in that time. Only 5 of 46 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
Towns keep savings (called reserves) to pay for new trucks, roof repairs and surprises. Leeds and the Thousand Islands had $9.4M saved at the end of 2025, up from $6.9M in 2019. That is 63% of one year's spending. Only 7 of 46 similar towns had less, compared with what they spend.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$409,000yearly payment on the $6.5 million Fire Station #2 loan, as the Township states it
In August 2025 the Township borrowed $6.5 million to build a new fire station. The yearly payment is about $409,000. The Township explains this in its budget, and says debt payments use 12% of the limit the province sets.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$1,926,400budgeted OPP contract cost for 2026, up $190,900 (11%) from 2025
Policing by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the Township's biggest outside cost. The Township's first 2025 bill was $2,033,400, up 19%. The province gave one-time relief. For 2026 the contract is budgeted at $1,926,400, up $190,900 or 11%. The Township explains in its budget how it paid for the increase.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$13,520,300Township levy requirement printed in both the draft budget book and the adopted-budget summary
The Township's summary says council was "deemed to have adopted" the 2026 budgets on January 12, 2026. The Township's own web page explains that the Mayor has had strong mayor powers over the budget since May 1, 2025. The budget book posted on the website is still headed "Draft".
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$19,132,700combined new and carry-forward capital budget for 2025, of which about $8 million was projected to be spent by year-end
The Township's 2025 capital budget, new and carried over, was $19,132,700. The Township projected that about $8 million would be spent by the end of 2025 and that $9,543,400 would be released. Most of the released amount was the Lansdowne road project. Some other projects were delayed.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
In 2019, Leeds and the Thousand Islands had $6.5M more in cash and money owed to it than it owed to others. By 2025 it was −$2.1M. About 38% of that change ($3.2M) is a new accounting rule from 2023: towns must now record the future cost of closing things like a landfill. That is not new spending or borrowing. Even leaving that out, only 8 of 46 similar towns are in a weaker position.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$60.4 millionof capital work the Township's own plan lists over 10 years
The Township's own 10-year plan lists $60.4 million of capital work (things like roads, bridges, fire trucks and buildings). Each year the Township puts part of its tax money into capital reserve funds, which are savings accounts set aside for that work. The plan says there is a funding gap and that the savings would go below zero without new borrowing.
Why it matters
Paying for roads and bridges either means saving ahead, borrowing, or delaying the work. Borrowing means yearly payments that come out of property taxes for decades. The plan is open about this, which is useful, but it means future councils will face bigger tax increases or hard choices.
It could be because…
A long-range plan is an estimate. The Township says the later years are uncertain and will change as it learns more about the condition of its assets.
Many municipalities borrow for big road projects on purpose, because the roads last for decades.
The plan was written to show the gap, so that council can decide how fast to close it.
Questions you could ask
Council has been told the plan's later years are uncertain. When the updated Asset Management Plan is presented, will the $60.4 million total and the funding gap be restated in public?
If the $7 million of road debt in 2027 to 2029 is not approved, which projects would be delayed or which taxes would rise instead?
How will council decide each year whether to keep to the planned 5% to 12.7% yearly increases in capital savings?
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 Leeds and the Thousand Islands?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The Township says: "The annual capital requirement ranges from a high of $9.6 million in 2030 to a low of $3.5 million in 2033. The total capital requirement over the 10 years is $60.4 million, for an average of $6 million annually."
The Township says debt of $9.5 million is proposed in the plan for 2028 to 2031. It adds that total yearly debt payments climb "from $475,100 in 2026, before levelling off at a high of $1 million in 2031", which is "an annual increase of $542,100 over the 5 years from 2026 to 2031".
The Township says: "Without this borrowing, the capital reserve funds would be in a negative balance of $1.5 million by the end of 2027 and remain in a negative balance for the remainder of the ten-year period, peaking with a negative balance of $6.7 million in 2032." It says the borrowing it means is "$7 million total in debt for road network projects for the period of 2027 to 2029".
The Township says the plan proposes increases to the yearly contributions into the capital reserve funds "in each of the next six years at a minimum of 5%, with a high of 12.7% in 2027".
$14.9 milliontotal project budget for the Lansdowne Urbanization Project before it was left out of the 2026 budget
The 2025 budget set aside $8.6 million for a village-wide road and drainage project in Lansdowne, in a total project budget of $14.9 million. The Township applied for a provincial grant to pay half and planned to borrow the other half. It did not get the grant, so the project is not in the 2026 budget and its 2025 budget was released.
Why it matters
This was the largest single project in the 2025 capital budget. Residents in Lansdowne were shown a plan and invited to comment on it. It matters what was spent on design before the project stopped, and when the village will see the work.
It could be because…
The project depended on grant money. Without the grant, the Township says it would rather do the work in smaller pieces over a longer time.
Releasing the budget is normal when a project cannot go ahead, and it avoids tying up money that is not needed.
Design work for the project is not wasted if the same road segments are rebuilt later.
Questions you could ask
How much was spent on design, engineering and public meetings for the Lansdowne project before it was left out of the budget?
Which village road segments are first in the 10-year plan, and in which years?
Will the Township apply again for the same kind of grant, and would the project then come back as one piece?
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 Leeds and the Thousand Islands?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The Township says: "The 2025 capital budget included an amount of $8.6 million, with an additional $6.3 million projected over 2026 and 2027, for a total project budget of $14.9 million for the proposed Lansdowne Urbanization Project."
The Township says it applied to a provincial funding program where, if successful, "50% of the project would have been funded through the grant program, with the remaining 50% proposed to be funded through debt issuance". It then says: "The Township was not successful with this application. As such, the Lansdowne Urbanization Project has not been included in the 2026 capital budget."
The Township says: "Rather than one large multi-year project encompassing several roads in the village, the necessary work will be completed over a longer period based on need and availability of resources." It says the road segments the Asset Management Plan identified are in the 10-year capital plan instead.
The Township says: "$8,553,300 of this released budget relates to the Lansdowne Urbanization Project in 2025, which was proposed to be funded through a potential grant and debt." It says releasing it "does not provide any relief to the pressure on the capital reserve funds".
$1,133,500to be taken from reserve funds in the draft 2026 operating budget
The draft 2026 operating budget takes $1,133,500 out of reserve funds, which are savings set aside by the Township. Some of it pays for one-time studies. Some of it, from the Tax Stabilization fund, is meant to soften the tax increase. The Township's levy, which is the amount it raises from property taxes, has grown from $10,779,400 in 2022 to $13,520,300 in 2026.
Why it matters
Money taken from savings can only be spent once. If the same costs come back next year and the savings are used up, taxes have to cover them, which can mean a bigger increase later.
It could be because…
Reserve funds exist for exactly this: to pay one-time costs and to smooth tax increases, instead of raising taxes sharply for one year.
Most of the withdrawals are listed as one-time studies and projects, not ongoing costs.
The Township may have set out how it will phase in the pressures over two or three years so the increase does not all land at once.
Questions you could ask
How much is left in the Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund after 2026, and does the Township plan to refill it?
Which of the costs paid from reserves in 2026 are expected to return in 2027 as ongoing costs?
Why did the Building Division need a reserve transfer in 2026 when the 2025 transfer was not expected to be needed in full?
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 Leeds and the Thousand Islands?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The Township says: "The proposed 2026 operating budget requires the withdrawal of $1,133,500 from reserve funds as detailed in Table 5 to fund a variety of studies or one-time costs as listed in Table 6." It also says staff "have sought to leverage the use of reserve funds to keep the tax rate increase as minimal as possible".
The Township says: "The Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund is proposed to help smooth the annual tax rate increase due to several budget pressures faced in 2026." Its list of key changes from 2025 includes "$120,000 Contribution from Tax Stabilization reserve fund (revenue)".
Table 2 prints the Township's levy requirement as 10,779,400 for 2022, 11,276,000 for 2023, 11,974,400 for 2024, 12,869,100 for 2025 and 13,520,300 for 2026. The Township tax rate increases printed on the next row are 2.4%, 4.2%, 5.6%, 6.8% and 4.9%.
The Township says it is budgeting a transfer of $273,000 from the Building Permit Reserve Fund to balance the Building Division in 2026. It adds that the 2025 budget "also proposed a withdrawal from the reserve fund, in the amount of $211,300" and that "it is not expected that an amount of that much will be necessary to balance the 2025 budget".
$875,000budgeted casino revenue for 2026, down from $950,000 in 2025
The Township gets a share of casino revenue under an agreement with the provincial gaming agency. It has used that money to keep taxes low and pay for capital projects without much borrowing. Budgeted casino revenue is $875,000 for 2026, down from $950,000 in 2025, and the Township says it has fallen since a high of $1.75 million in 2016.
Why it matters
Money the Township has counted on for years is getting smaller, and the 10-year capital plan now counts on a yearly $250,000 from the same source.
It could be because…
The Township has already been lowering how much of its operating budget depends on casino money, and says that is its goal.
Casino revenue depends on a provincial agreement and on how the local casino is doing, which the Township does not control.
Putting casino revenue into a reserve fund for capital work is a way to avoid using it for everyday costs.
Questions you could ask
If casino revenue keeps falling, what would replace the $250,000 a year the capital plan counts on from it?
What does the agreement with the gaming agency say about how long the Township's share will last?
How much of the 2016 high of $1.75 million went to everyday costs, compared with capital projects?
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 Leeds and the Thousand Islands?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The Township says: "Over the coming years, the goal will be to continue to decrease the net budget impact, until such time that the Casino revenue 100% flows through operating into the reserve fund." It describes budgeted Casino revenue of $875,000 ($950,000 in 2025), offset partly by a transfer of $275,000 ($325,000 in 2025) to the Special Projects Reserve Fund.
The Township says Figure 5 "illustrates the declining nature of Casino Revenue since a high in 2016 of $1.75 million, to a post COVID rebound of $1.1 million in 2022, to a projected $875,000 in 2026".
The Township says the 10-year capital plan includes "an annual allotment from the Special Projects Reserve Fund of $250,000 that has been included in the plan for the first time, as a flow through from the annual revenues received from the Casino".
The Township says the 2026 increase to capital reserve fund transfers is lower (13%) than the capital financial plan presented to Council as part of the 2025 budget, and that "This shortfall is proposed to be made up for with an allocation from Casino Revenues via the Special Projects Reserve Fund."
Leeds and the Thousand Islands spent $2.4M on roads and snow in 2019 and $3.5M in 2025. Prices only went up about 21% in that time. Only 5 of 46 similar towns had faster growth here.
Why did the cost of roads and snow grow 48% in 6 years?
Roads and snow
Prices (inflation)
−20%+0%+20%+40%+60%
+48%
2019202020212022202320242025
Show as a table
Year
Roads and snow
Prices (inflation)
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
−11%
+1%
2021
+10%
+4%
2022
+21%
+11%
2023
+41%
+16%
2024
+38%
+18%
2025
+48%
+21%
Change since the first year shown. The grey line is how much prices rose overall, for comparison.
Why it matters
When one area grows much faster than prices, it is either doing more (which may be great) or paying more for the same thing. Residents deserve to know which.
It could be because…
The town added a service, a building or staff that residents asked for.
Costs were moved from another area, so the total did not really change.
Accounting rules changed how costs are sorted.
Large one-time costs, like a study, lawsuit or repair, landed in one year.
Questions you could ask
What did the extra $1.1M a year pay for?
Why did roadsides and signs go from $1.4M to $2.0M?
Was each increase approved by council as a separate decision, or did it happen through the yearly 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 Leeds and the Thousand Islands?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Towns keep savings (called reserves) to pay for new trucks, roof repairs and surprises. Leeds and the Thousand Islands had $9.4M saved at the end of 2025, up from $6.9M in 2019. That is 63% of one year's spending. Only 7 of 46 similar towns had less, compared with what they spend.
Does Leeds and the Thousand Islands have enough saved for repairs and emergencies?
$0$2.0M$4.0M$6.0M$8.0M$10M$12M
$9.4M
2019202020212022202320242025
Show as a table
Year
Savings (reserves)
2019
$6.9M
2020
$7.8M
2021
$9.5M
2022
$9.8M
2023
$10.8M
2024
$10.4M
2025
$9.4M
Why it matters
With little saved, a broken bridge or a storm has to be paid for with a sudden tax increase or a loan. Low savings can also mean past budgets were balanced by spending savings instead of facing the real cost.
It could be because…
The town spent savings on purpose, on projects that were planned and saved up for.
Some savings were used to match grant money, which brings in more than it costs.
The town has a plan to rebuild its savings.
Questions you could ask
Does the town have a written reserve policy with a target amount?
What were the savings spent on between 2019 and 2025?
What is the plan to rebuild them, and by when?
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 Leeds and the Thousand Islands?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
$409,000yearly payment on the $6.5 million Fire Station #2 loan, as the Township states it
In August 2025 the Township borrowed $6.5 million to build a new fire station. The yearly payment is about $409,000. The Township explains this in its budget, and says debt payments use 12% of the limit the province sets.
Why it matters
A loan is a long promise. The yearly payment comes out of property taxes every year until it is paid off, and the 10-year plan adds more borrowing on top.
It could be because…
A new fire station is a long-lived building, and borrowing spreads its cost over the years in which people use it.
The Township says it is using only 12% of the annual repayment limit set by the province, so it has room under that limit.
The 2026 budget already includes the higher debt payment, and the Township lists it among its key changes.
Questions you could ask
What are the interest rate and the number of years on the $6.5 million loan?
How many years of the loan payment does the Township expect to pay from taxes, and how many from other sources?
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 Leeds and the Thousand Islands?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The Township says: "New debt of $6.5 million for Fire Station #2 was issued in August of 2025, with an annual payment of $409,000 to service."
The Township says the new debt "was issued in 2025 for the construction of the new firehall" and that, based on the 2025 annual repayment limit, "the Township is budgeted to use 12% (out of 100%) of the ARL as determined by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing".
$1,926,400budgeted OPP contract cost for 2026, up $190,900 (11%) from 2025
Policing by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the Township's biggest outside cost. The Township's first 2025 bill was $2,033,400, up 19%. The province gave one-time relief. For 2026 the contract is budgeted at $1,926,400, up $190,900 or 11%. The Township explains in its budget how it paid for the increase.
Why it matters
Police costs are set by the OPP and the province, not by the Township. The Township used a one-time grant to soften two years of increases, and the Township says only a small amount is left for 2027.
It could be because…
The Township did not choose this cost. It says the increase followed new collective agreements for OPP members.
The one-time provincial relief was planned out over two years, which is a sensible way to use it.
The province has capped the 2026 increase at 11%, which the Township used for its budget.
Questions you could ask
What was the actual 2026 OPP billing statement, compared with the 11% used in the budget?
What does the Township expect the 2027 OPP bill to be, when only $53,100 of relief money remains?
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 Leeds and the Thousand Islands?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The Township says the initial 2025 billing statement was $2,033,400, an increase of 19% over 2024. The province provided $77 million in one-time relief and the Township received $297,900, which "brought the total OPP services bill for 2025 to $1,735,500".
The Township says Council "decided to utilize $175,900 in relief in 2025 and carry forward $122,000 to 2026 in the form of a transfer to the Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund", so that "although the 2026 service contract is budgeted to increase by $190,900, there is no net impact on the levy requirement for 2026". It says $53,100 remains for 2027.
The Township says the cost of policing is budgeted to increase $190,900, or 11%, "bringing the total policing services contract cost to $1,926,400". It says the 2026 annual billing statement had not been received when the document was printed and that 11% was used because of the cap the province set.
$13,520,300Township levy requirement printed in both the draft budget book and the adopted-budget summary
The Township's summary says council was "deemed to have adopted" the 2026 budgets on January 12, 2026. The Township's own web page explains that the Mayor has had strong mayor powers over the budget since May 1, 2025. The budget book posted on the website is still headed "Draft".
Why it matters
Under the strong mayor rules the Township describes, the Mayor proposes the budget and the resulting budget is "deemed to be adopted". Residents are likely to look for the final document and for any changes made after the draft.
It could be because…
The "deemed adopted" wording comes from the provincial rules the Township describes. It does not mean anyone broke a rule.
The draft book and the summary give the same levy and the same total budget, so the draft may be the final version in all but its title.
The Township may simply not have posted a separate final copy.
Questions you could ask
Will the Township post the final adopted 2026 budget, with any amendments and any Mayoral directions, in one place?
Were any changes made between the draft budget book and the budget that was deemed adopted?
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 Leeds and the Thousand Islands?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The Township's summary says: "Council was deemed to have adopted the 2026 operating and capital budgets on Monday, January 12, 2026." Its table prints a Net Levy Requirement of $13,520,300 for 2026 and $12,869,100 for 2025.
The Township says it "was prescribed by the Minister as a municipality that will have strong mayor powers effective May 1, 2025". It says that after the Mayor proposes the budget, Council can pass resolutions to amend it within 30 days, the Mayor may veto them, and "At the end of this process, the resulting budget is deemed to be adopted by the municipality."
The budget book posted on the Township's budget page is headed "2026 Draft Operating and Capital Budgets" and prints a Draft Net Levy Requirement of 13,520,300 in Table 1.
$19,132,700combined new and carry-forward capital budget for 2025, of which about $8 million was projected to be spent by year-end
The Township's 2025 capital budget, new and carried over, was $19,132,700. The Township projected that about $8 million would be spent by the end of 2025 and that $9,543,400 would be released. Most of the released amount was the Lansdowne road project. Some other projects were delayed.
Why it matters
A budget that is mostly unspent shows how hard it is for a small township to plan large projects. It also means projects residents were told about slipped into the following year.
It could be because…
Most of the unspent amount is one project that depended on a grant that was not received.
Delays caused by building code rules and a provincial archaeological clearance are outside the Township's control.
Carrying a project into the next year is normal for building and road work.
Questions you could ask
What was the actual total spent on capital work in 2025, compared with the projection of about $8 million?
How does the Township decide how many projects it can actually deliver in a year?
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 Leeds and the Thousand Islands?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The Township says: "The total combined new and carry forward capital budget in 2025 was $19,132,700. It is projected that as of year-end, $8 million of this budget will have been spent and an additional $9,543,400 in net budget will be released." It proposes carrying forward an estimated $1,560,000 to 2026. This is a projection made before year-end, not a final result.
The Township says the Escott Hall/Archives building "is expected to be completed by the end of January 2026. Delays were experienced during the revitalization of the facility in 2025 due to interior retrofit challenges and compliance with building code."
The Township says Springfield House "has also experienced delays, due to the length of time it is taking the province to provide clearance of the archaeological assessment prior to the completion of construction", with the foundation work "delayed until the spring of 2026 at the earliest".
In 2019, Leeds and the Thousand Islands had $6.5M more in cash and money owed to it than it owed to others. By 2025 it was −$2.1M. About 38% of that change ($3.2M) is a new accounting rule from 2023: towns must now record the future cost of closing things like a landfill. That is not new spending or borrowing. Even leaving that out, only 8 of 46 similar towns are in a weaker position.
Leeds and the Thousand Islands went from having money in the bank to owing more than it has. What changed?
−$5.0M$0$5.0M$10M
−$2.1M
2019202020212022202320242025
Show as a table
Year
Net financial position
2019
$6.5M
2020
$7.2M
2021
$8.9M
2022
$8.7M
2023
$5.8M
2024
$1.4M
2025
−$2.1M
Why it matters
This number is one of the clearest signs of whether a town is living within its means. The accounting-rule part is a bill that will come due when the landfill closes, not money already spent. The rest is real borrowing and spending of savings.
It could be because…
A new accounting rule (asset retirement obligations, from 2023) added a large future cost to the books all at once.
Borrowing for a planned project, such as sewage lagoons, which is paid back over many years.
Questions you could ask
What is the plan and timeline for paying the landfill closing cost?
Without the accounting change, is the town's position getting better or worse?
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 Leeds and the Thousand Islands?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
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