Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to McMurrich-Monteith's budget, taxes and council decisions. A township in the Parry Sound District, around Sprucedale, with a mayor, a deputy mayor and three councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
Follow McMurrich-Monteith 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.
+75%running the town office, 2019 to 2025
McMurrich-Monteith spent $352K on running the town office in 2019 and $616K in 2025. Prices only went up about 21% in that time. Only 1 of 31 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
$654Kowed in unpaid property tax, end of 2025
At the end of 2025, $654K of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 25% of everything billed. None of the 31 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $493K.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$1,278,824spent on capital assets in 2025, against $2,231,530 in the budget reconciliation (a gap of $952,706, worked out by us)
The statements' budget reconciliation shows $2,231,530 for buying and building long-lasting assets such as roads and bridges (the note does not say this is the capital budget, but it is the only capital figure it gives). The statements show $1,278,824 spent. Government transfers were $1,161,616 against a budget of $1,829,937. The Axe Lake Road bridge contract, signed in 2025 for $416,018, was only $41,902 done at year end.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$393,563long-term debt at December 31, 2025, from nothing a year earlier
The Township had no long-term debt at the end of 2024. In 2025 it borrowed $393,563 through a provincial lender, repayable to 2050. The budget reconciliation in the statements also lists the debt.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$343,616the landfill closure liability at December 31, 2025, down from $585,878
The estimated cost to close and monitor the landfill fell from $585,878 to $343,616. The estimate of remaining space rose from 10,000 to 24,023 cubic metres, and the years to fill it from 10 to 32. In the same year the Township wrote off $265,266 of land and land improvements, nearly the same as the $265,268 cut in the estimate (worked out by us), and reported a $330,237 loss on disposal of assets.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$1,435,045the new Capital reserve at the end of 2025, after three reserves were emptied
Three reserves with $663,600, $491,057 and $310,213 at the start of 2025 ($1,464,870 in all, worked out by us) all end at nothing. A new reserve called Capital starts at nothing and ends at $1,435,045. Total reserves and reserve funds fell by $152,526 to $2,470,568, and the Modernization fund fell by $220,264.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source
$167.88the 2026 rise on the Township's sample home bill ($2,167.83 to $2,335.71), about 7.7%
The Township's own summary says its total collected taxes rise 5.02% ($130,978) in 2026, and the residential tax rate rises 3.49%. It also says the average home's assessment rose 4.11%, which together takes the sample bill from $2,167.83 to $2,335.71, a rise of $167.88 or 7.7% (worked out by us).
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
+52%roads and snow, 2019 to 2025
McMurrich-Monteith spent $542K on roads and snow in 2019 and $823K in 2025. Prices only went up about 21% in that time. Only 6 of 31 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
+47%police, fire and safety, 2019 to 2025
McMurrich-Monteith spent $410K on police, fire and safety in 2019 and $605K in 2025. Prices only went up about 21% in that time.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$282per home on council, 2025
McMurrich-Monteith spent about $282 per home on council in 2025. The typical similar town spent $110. Only 4 of 31 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
$60,000the difference between $2,385,983 and $2,325,983 (worked out by us)
The operating budget table shows $2,385,983 of general taxation revenue, and the staff summary two pages later says $2,325,983 of municipal taxes are budgeted. The table also prints a "Total increase in operating budget from 2025 to 2026" of -$29,000, while the summary prints an increase in net operating budget of $97,914.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
22.79%rise in the fire department's net operating budget for 2026
The operating table shows fire's net budget rising from $239,382 to $293,947. The capital budget has $100,000 of spending on a fire department vehicle, with $30,000 of revenue, against $16,000 in 2025. Council directed staff on April 21, 2026 to source a command vehicle by direct purchase, not to exceed the approved budget amount.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
A property tax bill in McMurrich-Monteith pays for the town and schools. Only part of it goes to the town, and that part is what McMurrich-Monteith council controls.
Local businesses can sponsor this page · How it works →
Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.
We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.
Towns are only compared with places of a similar size and kind, from the same yearly reports.
Council meetings are open to the public, and councillors answer to you. How to reach McMurrich-Monteith's council · Council Books is free and paid for by readers: support this work.