Questions · 10 so far
We read Machar's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 31 similar Ontario towns. These are the things that stood out.
These are unusual enough that residents deserve a clear answer from council.
+9%town property tax, 2024 to 2025
In 2025, Machar collected $230K more in its own property tax than in 2024. That is a 9% jump, while prices went up about 2.1%. Only 3 of 31 similar towns raised theirs by more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
$389per home on council, 2025
Machar spent about $389 per home on council in 2025. The typical similar town spent $110. Only 3 of 31 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
There may well be a good reason. It is still worth asking what it is.
$400,000taken from reserves to keep the 2025 tax rise down
A reserve is money saved in earlier years for later costs. The 2025 letter says the Township used $400,000 from its reserves to hold the tax rise down. The 2026 letter says the 4.83% tax rise is meant to repay reserves after the capital costs of 2024. Neither letter says what the reserves hold or how fast they are being rebuilt.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$260,625the most the provincial grant (NOHFC) will pay toward the wall
The Township built a retaining wall at the Eagle Lake Narrows park to stop shoreline erosion. The 2026 letter says it was finished with an unexpected railing requirement, and that a provincial grant covers 75% of the cost up to $260,625. We did not find the final cost or the Township's share in the documents we could read. A local lake association also asked for an environmental assessment report, and the Township replied that none was commissioned.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
+53%police, fire and safety, 2019 to 2025
Machar spent $429K on police, fire and safety in 2019 and $658K in 2025. Prices only went up about 21% in that time.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
Background that helps make sense of the rest.
$428,563the Township's arena share in 2025; the 2026 share is $188,851
The Township pays part of the cost of the South River Machar Arena, which it runs together with the village of South River. The Mayor's budget letters show the Township's share going from a lower amount to $428,563 in 2025, and then down to $188,851 in 2026. The Township explained both moves itself.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
40%the rise in the Administration budget for 2026, after a 3.3% drop for 2025
The Mayor's letters say the Administration budget was down 3.3% for 2025 and is up 40% for 2026. The 2026 letter does not say what changed or give a dollar amount.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$457,438.64the grand total of the May 2026 payment list; June, July and August are lower
Council approves a list of payments each month. The minutes show only the grand total. The agendas we could read are short outlines with no list attached.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
2025the year of the statements on the September 28, 2026 agenda; we did not find them posted
The financial page of the Township's website lists budgets, a letter on each budget and yearly "Financial Highlights" sheets up to 2024. We did not find the full audited statements posted. The agenda for the September 28, 2026 meeting lists the 2025 consolidated financial statements and the auditors' letters, with the auditing firm invited to speak.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source
4 of 5meetings with a closed session, June 1 to September 14, 2026 (worked out by us)
In the five sets of minutes we read (June 1 to September 14, 2026), council went into closed session at four of the five meetings. The minutes give the reason each time (solicitor-client advice, labour relations, a personal matter about an identifiable employee, or a request under the freedom of information law). Votes taken after coming out were recorded in public.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
+9%town property tax, 2024 to 2025
In 2025, Machar collected $230K more in its own property tax than in 2024. That is a 9% jump, while prices went up about 2.1%. Only 3 of 31 similar towns raised theirs by more.
| Year | Town property tax |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $1.9M |
| 2020 | $2.0M |
| 2021 | $2.1M |
| 2022 | $2.2M |
| 2023 | $2.4M |
| 2024 | $2.5M |
| 2025 | $2.8M |
A big one-year jump usually means something changed: a new cost, a service that grew, savings being rebuilt, or a problem from earlier years being paid for now. Residents should be able to see exactly which. Spread across every home, it is about $241 more each 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 Machar? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Town property tax: $2,548,860 in 2024, $2,778,773 in 2025.
Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2019 to 2025 · Schedule 10, line 9940 · archived copy
Typical increase among 31 similar Ontario towns: 4.7%. Machar ranks 4th highest.
Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2025, 31 similar municipalities · Schedule 10, line 9940 · archived copy
Prices (inflation) rose 2.1% over the same year.
$389per home on council, 2025
Machar spent about $389 per home on council in 2025. The typical similar town spent $110. Only 3 of 31 similar towns spent more.
Spending more than neighbours is not wrong by itself. It might buy better service. But it is the first place to look for costs that could be lower, such as contracts that were not competitively bid.
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 Machar? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Council per home: Machar $389; typical similar town $110; ranked 4th highest of 32.
Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2025, 31 similar municipalities · Schedule 40 and Schedule 2 · archived copy
$400,000taken from reserves to keep the 2025 tax rise down
A reserve is money saved in earlier years for later costs. The 2025 letter says the Township used $400,000 from its reserves to hold the tax rise down. The 2026 letter says the 4.83% tax rise is meant to repay reserves after the capital costs of 2024. Neither letter says what the reserves hold or how fast they are being rebuilt.
Reserves pay for roads and equipment without sudden tax jumps. Knowing the balance and the repayment plan tells residents how much room the Township has.
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 Machar? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The 2025 letter says "We've utilized $400,000 from our Reserves to keep the increase as reasonable as possible, while not compromising service levels and ensuring funds for the future."
2025 Budget Information (letter from the Mayor, June 9, 2025) · page 1, first paragraph
The 2026 letter says the levy is "$2,924,805, up $204,839 over the 2025 levy of $2,719,966" and that "Council has struck a measured tax rate increase based on repaying the Township's reserves after the capital costs of 2024".
2026 Budget Information (letter from the Mayor, July 13, 2026) · page 1, first paragraph
"The resulting increase to the overall Tax Rate is 4.83%."
2026 Budget Information (letter from the Mayor, July 13, 2026) · page 1, first paragraph
$260,625the most the provincial grant (NOHFC) will pay toward the wall
The Township built a retaining wall at the Eagle Lake Narrows park to stop shoreline erosion. The 2026 letter says it was finished with an unexpected railing requirement, and that a provincial grant covers 75% of the cost up to $260,625. We did not find the final cost or the Township's share in the documents we could read. A local lake association also asked for an environmental assessment report, and the Township replied that none was commissioned.
The grant has a ceiling (by our arithmetic, 75% reaches that ceiling once eligible costs pass about three hundred and forty-seven thousand dollars), so any cost above it falls on local taxpayers. The final total is the number that says how big that part is.
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 Machar? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The 2026 letter says "The Retaining Wall project at the Eagle Lake Narrows was completed this Spring with an unexpected railing requirement. Funding has been received from NOHFC for the Retaining Wall to cover 75% of the costs up to $260,625."
2026 Budget Information (letter from the Mayor, July 13, 2026) · page 1, third paragraph
The minutes of June 22, 2026 record a reply to the Eagle Lake Conservation Association saying that "no environmental assessment report was commissioned for this project" and that the erosion problem was handled with planning professionals, an engineering firm and approvals from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
Minutes of the regular meeting, June 22, 2026 · page 2, item 4.2
The minutes of July 13, 2026 say "The last engineering invoice was noted as administering the Narrows retaining wall hold back payment request for the contractor."
Minutes of the regular meeting, July 13, 2026 · page 1, item 3.1
+53%police, fire and safety, 2019 to 2025
Machar spent $429K on police, fire and safety in 2019 and $658K in 2025. Prices only went up about 21% in that time.
| Year | Police, fire and safety | Prices (inflation) |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +0% | +0% |
| 2020 | +3% | +1% |
| 2021 | −1% | +4% |
| 2022 | +7% | +11% |
| 2023 | +23% | +16% |
| 2024 | +28% | +18% |
| 2025 | +53% | +21% |
Change since the first year shown. The grey line is how much prices rose overall, for comparison.
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.
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 Machar? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Police, fire and safety: 2019 $429K, 2020 $442K, 2021 $426K, 2022 $459K, 2023 $529K, 2024 $549K, 2025 $658K.
Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2019 to 2025 · Schedule 40 · archived copy
Biggest driver: Fire department, from $71,969 to $241K.
Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), 2019 to 2025 · Schedule 40 · archived copy
$428,563the Township's arena share in 2025; the 2026 share is $188,851
The Township pays part of the cost of the South River Machar Arena, which it runs together with the village of South River. The Mayor's budget letters show the Township's share going from a lower amount to $428,563 in 2025, and then down to $188,851 in 2026. The Township explained both moves itself.
A share that swings this much changes the tax bill from year to year. Residents may want to know what the share will look like when the next big arena job comes up.
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 Machar? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The 2025 letter says the Township's "share of the South River Machar Arena has increased by 119.95% or $233,713 to $428,563 our share in 2025, largely due to a change in the Township's operating funding contributions from 1/3 to 1/2, as well as the rink resurfacing capital project $407,500 our share."
2025 Budget Information (letter from the Mayor, June 9, 2025) · page 1, second paragraph
The 2026 letter says the Township's share "has decreased by 55.9% or $239,712 to $188,851 our now 50% overall stakeholder share in 2026", after the 2025 share of $428,563.
2026 Budget Information (letter from the Mayor, July 13, 2026) · page 1, second paragraph
40%the rise in the Administration budget for 2026, after a 3.3% drop for 2025
The Mayor's letters say the Administration budget was down 3.3% for 2025 and is up 40% for 2026. The 2026 letter does not say what changed or give a dollar amount.
Administration is the cost of running the municipal office, and it is paid for by the tax levy. A rise this large in one year is worth a plain explanation.
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 Machar? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The 2026 letter says "The Township Road budget is down 15.4%, Landfill is up 8.3% and Administration is up 40% for 2026."
2026 Budget Information (letter from the Mayor, July 13, 2026) · page 1, second paragraph
The 2025 letter says "The Township Road budget is down 8.8%, Landfill is down 28.1% and Administration is down 3.3% for 2025."
2025 Budget Information (letter from the Mayor, June 9, 2025) · page 1, second paragraph
$457,438.64the grand total of the May 2026 payment list; June, July and August are lower
Council approves a list of payments each month. The minutes show only the grand total. The agendas we could read are short outlines with no list attached.
The grand total shows how much was paid but not to whom or for what. A published list would let residents check for themselves.
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 Machar? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Minutes of June 22, 2026: council approved the "List of Proposed Payments for May, 2026: $457,438.64 Grand Total."
Minutes of the regular meeting, June 22, 2026 · page 3, item 5.1
Minutes of July 13, 2026: council approved the "List of Proposed Payments for Jun, 2026: $402,100.49 Grand Total."
Minutes of the regular meeting, July 13, 2026 · page 2, item 5.1
Minutes of August 10, 2026: council approved the "List of Proposed Payments for Jul, 2026: $322,821.76 Grand Total."
Minutes of the regular meeting, August 10, 2026 · page 2, item 5.1
Minutes of September 14, 2026: council reviewed the list "for Aug, 2026: $319,309.62 Grand Total."
Minutes of the regular meeting, September 14, 2026 · page 2, item 5.1
2025the year of the statements on the September 28, 2026 agenda; we did not find them posted
The financial page of the Township's website lists budgets, a letter on each budget and yearly "Financial Highlights" sheets up to 2024. We did not find the full audited statements posted. The agenda for the September 28, 2026 meeting lists the 2025 consolidated financial statements and the auditors' letters, with the auditing firm invited to speak.
The audited statements are the one document that shows total spending, savings, debt and reserves in a form checked by an outside firm. Without them, residents cannot see the reserve balances behind the budget letters.
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 Machar? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The agenda for September 28, 2026 lists, under Public Meeting/Guests and Delegations, item 2.1 "2025 Consolidated Financial Statements, Audit and Representation letters, Resolution", with representatives of the auditing firm named as presenters.
Agenda, regular council meeting, September 28, 2026 · page 1, item 2.1
4 of 5meetings with a closed session, June 1 to September 14, 2026 (worked out by us)
In the five sets of minutes we read (June 1 to September 14, 2026), council went into closed session at four of the five meetings. The minutes give the reason each time (solicitor-client advice, labour relations, a personal matter about an identifiable employee, or a request under the freedom of information law). Votes taken after coming out were recorded in public.
Closed sessions are allowed for set reasons, and the minutes show those reasons. How often they happen, and whether results are reported, is a sign of how open a council is.
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 Machar? Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
Minutes of June 1, 2026: council went into closed session "in order to address a matter pertaining to; advice that is subject to solicitor/client privilege", at "7:00 pm", and came out at "7:15 pm".
Minutes of the regular meeting, June 1, 2026 · page 3, item 8
Minutes of June 22, 2026: council went into closed session for "labour relations or employee negotiations, and a request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act", from "7:20 pm" to "7:43 pm".
Minutes of the regular meeting, June 22, 2026 · page 5, item 8
Minutes of July 13, 2026: the numbered items run from "7. Information" to "10. Adjournment", and the minutes show no closed session.
Minutes of the regular meeting, July 13, 2026 · pages 2 and 3, items 7 and 10
Minutes of August 10, 2026: council went into closed session for "personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees; labour relations or employee negotiations", at "7:13 pm", and came out at "7:27 pm".
Minutes of the regular meeting, August 10, 2026 · page 3, item 8
Minutes of September 14, 2026: council went into closed session for a request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, from "7:00 pm" to "7:19pm".
Minutes of the regular meeting, September 14, 2026 · page 3, item 8