Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to Malahide's budget, taxes and council decisions. A rural township in Elgin County, Ontario, with a seven-member council. Its 2026 budget book gives a population of 9,308 (2021 Census). Every figure links back to the public record.
Follow Malahide in one tapWhere it goes
Questions worth asking
Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.
$3.4Mowed in unpaid property tax, end of 2024
At the end of 2024, $3.4M of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 18% of everything billed. Only 2 of 94 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $1.6M.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$455per home on council, 2024
Malahide spent about $455 per home on council in 2024. The typical similar town spent $52. Only 1 of 94 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
$251,610extra tax for capital in the draft 2026 budget (2.7% of the levy), to narrow a gap between $5.5 million of yearly need and $4.7 million of funding
A reserve is money set aside for a named purpose. Malahide's draft 2026 budget book says the Township plans to spend an average of $5.5 million a year on capital work (roads, bridges, vehicles and buildings) but has about $4.7 million a year to pay for it. To close that gap it asks for an extra $251,610 of tax, which it says is a 2.7% increase in the levy (the total tax the Township raises for its own use), and it says the plan was already to raise capital funding by 2.5% a year to 2030, now extended to 2031. The book says that without an increase the Township would use up its reserves by 2038. Part of the $4,700,400 it counts on each year is money the Township does not control: $497,000 from a provincial fund and $607,000 of investment income, which the book itself calls volatile. The Township has explained all of this in its own book, which is why this is a watch item, not a question it has not answered. We read the draft book and did not see the adopted one.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$1,410,859agriculture expenses in 2025, against a budget of $163,553
The 2025 statements show "Agriculture" expenses of $1,410,859, against a budget of $163,553 and $678,110 the year before. The statements do not say what it is made of. The Township's budget book says it relies on municipal drains (shared ditches and pipes built under the Drainage Act), that the Township builds them and pays to keep them up, and that the cost is shared with the landowners who benefit. It says the Township's own share is expected to be about $100,000 a year. Elsewhere in the statements, drainage debentures and grants owed to the Township rose to $604,706 from $282,897, and a fund for "benefiting land owners" shows ($969,774), down from ($433,627). A negative balance means the Township has paid more than it has recovered so far.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$232,190rise in gross wages in the draft 2026 budget, with a second half of the pay review still to come in 2027
The draft 2026 budget book says a pay market review in 2025 found a large gap between the Township's pay bands for non-union staff and the middle of comparable municipalities. To soften the effect, only half the recommended increase is in the 2026 budget and "the remaining 50% budgeted for 2027". Gross wages in the 2026 draft rise by $232,190, of which $203,020 comes from property tax. The book also says the council share of the increase "has been postponed one year, to be phased over two years starting in 2027". It gives no dollar figure for the 2027 part. Council pay is set by a by-law that follows a Council Remuneration Review Committee. The book also notes 2026 is the last year of the current term of council. Salaries, wages and employee benefits in the 2025 statements were $5,225,870, up from $4,840,681.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
+62%water, sewers and garbage, 2019 to 2024
Malahide spent $1.3M on water, sewers and garbage in 2019 and $2.1M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$4,127,582forecast for 2025 capital spending, against a budget of $6,937,693
The draft 2026 budget book shows the 2025 capital budget at $6,937,693 and a year-end forecast of $4,127,582. The audited statements show $4,170,663 spent on capital assets in 2025. The book says only about $4.3 million of the $6.9 million planned would be completed, that about $2.1 million is deferred to 2026, and that a $460,000 surplus was "largely the result of roads construction and rehabilitation project over-planning" that has been corrected for 2026. Separately, the book's summary table shows the net cost funded by property tax in 2024 was $8,085,806 against a budget of $8,868,830. The Township explains that reserves are higher than expected because of operating and capital surpluses in 2023 and 2024, and deferred projects. This is context for the question of why the levy keeps rising for capital.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$2,647,917recreation and cultural services expenses in 2025, against a budget of $1,972,316
Recreation and cultural services expenses were $2,647,917 in 2025. The statements' budget was $1,972,316, and 2024's actual was $1,685,249. Inside that, materials for recreation rose to $1,571,698 from $699,538, and government transfers to recreation rose to $1,083,917 from $205,948, so a grant may have paid for much of it. The statements do not say which project. The draft budget book lists the Township's share of East Elgin Community Complex capital at $1,157,953 for 2025 with a forecast of $869,220, and carries $288,734 into 2026.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$1,037,563investment income in 2025, against a budget of $106,100
The 2025 statements show an annual surplus (revenue less spending) of $2,664,920 against a budgeted $1,451,650. Investment income was $1,037,563 against $106,100, and provincial transfers were $2,006,459 against $628,900. The Township's budget book shows $0 of operating investment earnings in 2025 and says general interest earnings "are allocated to reserves" to support capital financing, which explains part of the gap. For 2026 the draft counts $607,000 of unrestricted investment income as capital funding. So the money is not hidden, but the audited gap to the budget is large.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$137,714planned draw from the Building Stabilization Reserve Fund in the draft 2026 budget
Building permit fees can only be spent on the building service. The statements show that deferred revenue for the "building department funds" fell to $504,861 from $576,068 in 2025, a fall of $71,207 (worked out by us). The draft 2026 budget book forecasts a draw of $137,714 from its Building Stabilization Reserve Fund and contributions of $28,500, from an opening balance of $492,634 to a closing balance of $383,420. The book says this reserve exists to cover the building service when fees are less than costs. The building and by-law line is budgeted at $42,000 of tax in 2026. The Township has explained the reason for the reserve, so this is context.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
2024 tax year · Malahide, Ontario
Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what Malahide'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 Malahide.
a year in property tax, at 2024 rates
Malahide council sets only its own share. County or region sets its share, the Province sets the school rate.
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Malahide'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.
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We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.
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