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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 McNab-Braeside'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 · 9 so far
Things worth asking about
We read McNab-Braeside's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 82 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.
2.5%levy increase adopted March 12, 2026, down from 5.1% at the start of the meeting
The levy is the total property tax the Township asks its residents to pay. The minutes of the March 12, 2026 special meeting say the levy increase "went from the starting point of 5.1% down to 2.5%" during the day. Council then adopted the 2026 budget "as amended", at 2.5%. The minutes list the cuts line by line, but they do not print the dollar total of the budget before or after. The Township's Finance page posts a one-page "2026 Budget Summary", but its table does not read cleanly as text, so we have not used its numbers and cannot say whether it shows the draft or the amended budget.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$50,000approved for a structural reorganization review, down from a requested $80,000
At budget time Council cut the request for a "structural reorganization review" from $80,000 to $50,000. In the same pass it removed $100,000 that had been set aside for a consultant to look at municipal land around the Township Office, and sent that money back to where it came from. The minutes do not say who will do the review, what it will cover or when it will report.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source
$1,976,547surplus in 2025, against a budgeted $1,163,652
A surplus is what is left when a year's revenue is more than its spending. The 2025 budget planned a surplus of $1,163,652, and the audited result was $1,976,547, which is $812,895 more (worked out by us). Spending came in $906,750 under budget (worked out by us): $9,601,958 spent against $10,508,708. Revenue was $93,855 under budget (worked out by us). The Township also planned to spend $4,449,171 on capital (roads, buildings, equipment) and spent $2,476,910, about $1.97 million less (worked out by us). The statements say the capital budget is set project by project and may span more than one year.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$266,459less in Ontario grants than budgeted in 2025 (worked out by us)
The 2025 budget counted on $1,039,517 from the Province of Ontario in grants. The audited statements show $773,058. The shortfall of $266,459 is worked out by us. The Township keeps a reserve called "Future loss of grants" of $282,532, which is about the same size. The statements do not say which grant was lower than planned.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$1,425,209counted as the landfill obligation at the end of 2025, against estimated later costs of about $10,132,598
A landfill must be covered and watched for years after it closes, and the Township has to count that future cost as a liability. The 2025 statements show $1,425,209 as an asset retirement obligation for the landfill. The note says the total undiscounted costs over a 25 year post-closure period are about $10,132,598. The Township holds a waste management reserve of $1,055,532. The accumulated surplus also shows "Unfunded - asset retirement obligation" of (569,781), meaning a part of the liability has no money set aside for it by the statements' own count.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$4,221,241owed on long-term loans at the end of 2025, with $12,734,696 in cash
At the end of 2025 the Township had $12,734,696 in cash and cash equivalents and reserves of $13,546,736. It also owed $4,221,241 on Infrastructure Ontario loans. Two of those loans carry interest of 4.60% and 4.45% and run to 2052. The minutes of the March 12, 2026 budget meeting say staff were directed to bring a report to Council "with regards to exploring options for the debt repayment of the JAG and/or the MYCC". We could not tell from the documents we read what those two abbreviations stand for.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
At the end of 2024, $1.7M of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 11% of everything billed. Only 15 of 82 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $1.2M.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$165,000in health-care requests cut or reduced on March 12, 2026 (worked out by us)
At the March 12, 2026 budget meeting Council cut $50,000 for a CT scanner, $25,000 for "Scope for Hope", and $60,000 for renovations and expansion at a family health team, all listed under Arnprior Regional Health or the Arnprior & District Family Health Team. It also reduced a physician recruitment request from $40,000 to $10,000. Together that is $165,000 (worked out by us). In 2025 the Township's own health services spending was small: $31,222 against a budget of $29,800. The statements say it covers doctor recruitment.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
September 15, 2026date of the auditor's report on the 2025 statements
Council adopted the 2026 budget on March 12, 2026. The auditor's report on the 2025 statements is dated September 15, 2026, about six months later (worked out by us). That means the budget was set before the audited 2025 results were final. The opinion is clean: the auditor says the statements "present fairly, in all material respects" the Township's position.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
2.5%levy increase adopted March 12, 2026, down from 5.1% at the start of the meeting
The levy is the total property tax the Township asks its residents to pay. The minutes of the March 12, 2026 special meeting say the levy increase "went from the starting point of 5.1% down to 2.5%" during the day. Council then adopted the 2026 budget "as amended", at 2.5%. The minutes list the cuts line by line, but they do not print the dollar total of the budget before or after. The Township's Finance page posts a one-page "2026 Budget Summary", but its table does not read cleanly as text, so we have not used its numbers and cannot say whether it shows the draft or the amended budget.
Why it matters
About half of the first proposed tax increase was removed in one meeting. Residents can only judge what was given up if the adopted budget, and what changed from the draft, are easy to find and read.
It could be because…
Draft budgets often start high so that Council can choose what to keep. A large cut on budget day is a normal way for that to work.
Many of the cuts were to requests from outside groups or one-time items, which Council may simply have chosen not to fund this year.
Staff may have posted a fuller budget document that we did not find, or may be preparing one.
Questions you could ask
Where is the adopted 2026 budget, with the dollar totals for operating and capital spending, posted?
Does the posted "2026 Budget Summary" show the draft or the amended budget, and can it be re-posted in a form that reads as a table?
What was the dollar value of each cut that took the increase from 5.1% to 2.5%?
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 McNab-Braeside?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The minutes record the result of the cuts: "At this point in the budget deliberations, the levy increase went from the starting point of 5.1% down to 2.5%". They then record Resolution SM-12-2026: "THAT Council adopt the 2026 Operating and Capital Budget, as amended, at a levy increase of 2.5%." The resolution was carried.
The minutes list the cuts to General Government: "Cut $8,000 requested by Renfrew County Regional Science and Technology Fair." "Reduce the requested $80,000 to $50,000 for the structural reorganization review." "Remove the $100,000 for the consultant for municipal land around the Township Office from the WIP and send it back to the source."
$50,000approved for a structural reorganization review, down from a requested $80,000
At budget time Council cut the request for a "structural reorganization review" from $80,000 to $50,000. In the same pass it removed $100,000 that had been set aside for a consultant to look at municipal land around the Township Office, and sent that money back to where it came from. The minutes do not say who will do the review, what it will cover or when it will report.
Why it matters
Reviews like this can lead to changes in how the Township is run and how many staff it has. Residents who pay for it should be told what it is for, and what happens with the answer.
It could be because…
A small township may want an outside look at how its departments are arranged, especially after staff changes. Council kept the review, though at a lower price.
The scope may be in a staff report in the March 12, 2026 meeting package, which is on a site we did not open.
The consultant for the land around the Township Office may have been dropped because Council wanted to decide the review's results first.
Questions you could ask
What will the structural reorganization review cover, who is doing it and when will Council see the results?
Will the report be public?
Is the land consultant still planned for a later 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 McNab-Braeside?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Under General Government the minutes record: "Reduce the requested $80,000 to $50,000 for the structural reorganization review." and "Remove the $100,000 for the consultant for municipal land around the Township Office from the WIP and send it back to the source."
$1,976,547surplus in 2025, against a budgeted $1,163,652
A surplus is what is left when a year's revenue is more than its spending. The 2025 budget planned a surplus of $1,163,652, and the audited result was $1,976,547, which is $812,895 more (worked out by us). Spending came in $906,750 under budget (worked out by us): $9,601,958 spent against $10,508,708. Revenue was $93,855 under budget (worked out by us). The Township also planned to spend $4,449,171 on capital (roads, buildings, equipment) and spent $2,476,910, about $1.97 million less (worked out by us). The statements say the capital budget is set project by project and may span more than one year.
Why it matters
A budget is the promise made to taxpayers about what the year will cost. When spending is well under the promise, money may have been raised in tax that was not needed that year, or planned work may be slipping. The Township's own explanation (projects that run over more than one year) may cover much of the capital gap.
It could be because…
The statements say the capital budget is project by project and "may be carried out over one or more years", so an unspent amount may just be moving into 2026.
The "Work in progress" reserve rose from $678,583 to $1,732,660, a change of $1,054,077 (worked out by us), which looks like money set aside for projects not finished.
Several expense lines were under budget on purpose or because staff vacancies or weather changed the work done.
Questions you could ask
Which of the 2025 capital projects were not finished, and how much of the $1,972,261 gap is carried into 2026?
Which operating lines were under budget the most, and why?
Does the Township plan to use the surplus to lower later tax increases?
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 McNab-Braeside?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Statement of operations: total revenue 2025 budget 11,672,360, actual 11,578,505. Total expenses 2025 budget 10,508,708, actual 9,601,958 (2024 actual 8,866,388). "Excess (shortfall) of revenue over expenses": budget 1,163,652, actual 1,976,547 (2024 actual 2,671,846).
Statement of changes in net financial assets: "Acquisition of tangible capital assets" 2025 budget (4,449,171), actual (2,476,910) (2024 actual (2,531,149)).
Note 7 says: "The budget established for capital investment in tangible capital assets is on a project-oriented basis, the costs of which may be carried out over one or more years and, therefore, may not be comparable with current year's actual expenditure amounts."
$266,459less in Ontario grants than budgeted in 2025 (worked out by us)
The 2025 budget counted on $1,039,517 from the Province of Ontario in grants. The audited statements show $773,058. The shortfall of $266,459 is worked out by us. The Township keeps a reserve called "Future loss of grants" of $282,532, which is about the same size. The statements do not say which grant was lower than planned.
Why it matters
Provincial grants can cover a large share of a small township's costs. If a grant that was counted on does not arrive, the Township must cover it from taxes or reserves, and residents should know whether it was a one-time miss or a lasting drop.
It could be because…
Some grants are paid when a project is finished. If the project was delayed (see the capital gap above), the grant would arrive later.
The budget may have counted a one-time grant that was not confirmed in time.
The reserve for "Future loss of grants" exists for this very reason, so the Township may have planned for it.
Questions you could ask
Which Ontario grant or grants were below the 2025 budget, and were they late or lost?
Was any of the $282,532 "Future loss of grants" reserve used for 2025?
How much Ontario grant money is counted in the 2026 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 McNab-Braeside?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Statement of operations, revenue line "Ontario": 2025 budget 1,039,517, 2025 actual 773,058. Note 11(d) shows government transfers from Ontario of 773,058 in 2025.
$1,425,209counted as the landfill obligation at the end of 2025, against estimated later costs of about $10,132,598
A landfill must be covered and watched for years after it closes, and the Township has to count that future cost as a liability. The 2025 statements show $1,425,209 as an asset retirement obligation for the landfill. The note says the total undiscounted costs over a 25 year post-closure period are about $10,132,598. The Township holds a waste management reserve of $1,055,532. The accumulated surplus also shows "Unfunded - asset retirement obligation" of (569,781), meaning a part of the liability has no money set aside for it by the statements' own count.
Why it matters
A cost that arrives decades from now can be left for future taxpayers. Residents of today can ask whether a plan exists to set aside money for it.
It could be because…
The $1,425,209 is a discounted, present-day figure for the obligation. The $10,132,598 is the same costs added up without discounting, spread over 25 years after closure. The two are not meant to match.
The note says the landfill is expected to reach capacity in 49 years, so most of the spending is a long way off.
The waste management reserve rose from $981,996 to $1,055,532 in 2025, so the Township is adding to it.
Questions you could ask
Does the Township have a plan, and a yearly amount, to set aside money for landfill closure and care?
Is the waste management reserve meant to cover it, and is it large enough?
What does the Township plan to do about the unfunded part of the obligation?
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 McNab-Braeside?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Note 15: "Landfill closure and post closure costs" 1,370,393 in 2024 plus "Increase in change in estimate" 54,816 gives 1,425,209 in 2025. "The landfill is expected to reach its capacity in 49 years and the estimated remaining capacity is 676,315 cubic meters. The estimated total undiscounted expenses over the 25 year post closure period amount to approximately $ 10,132,598."
Statement of financial position: "Asset retirement obligation (Note 15)" 1,425,209 (2024: 1,370,393). In the accumulated surplus: "Unfunded - asset retirement obligation" (569,781) in both years.
$4,221,241owed on long-term loans at the end of 2025, with $12,734,696 in cash
At the end of 2025 the Township had $12,734,696 in cash and cash equivalents and reserves of $13,546,736. It also owed $4,221,241 on Infrastructure Ontario loans. Two of those loans carry interest of 4.60% and 4.45% and run to 2052. The minutes of the March 12, 2026 budget meeting say staff were directed to bring a report to Council "with regards to exploring options for the debt repayment of the JAG and/or the MYCC". We could not tell from the documents we read what those two abbreviations stand for.
Why it matters
Savings can earn less than a loan costs. Paying a loan early can save interest, but the reserves also have jobs to do (replacing roads and equipment, for example). The report Council asked for is where that choice should be explained.
It could be because…
Much of the cash is promised to other uses: reserves of $13,546,736, including $6,769,209 to replace capital assets.
Early repayment of a loan may carry a fee or be limited by the loan's terms, which we did not read.
The Township's investment earnings may be higher than we assume. The statements show investment income of $370,329 in 2025, which we have not compared with the loan interest of $175,392.
Questions you could ask
What are "the JAG" and "the MYCC", which loans are tied to them and what are their balances?
When will the staff report on repayment options come to Council, and will it be public?
Which part of the $12,734,696 in cash is free to pay down debt, and what do the loans cost to repay early?
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 McNab-Braeside?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Staff direction: "Staff were directed to bring a report forward to Council with regards to exploring options for the debt repayment of the JAG and/or the MYCC."
Note 3: Infrastructure Ontario Debenture loans payable at 4.60% interest (balance 1,104,343) and 4.45% interest (balance 1,946,644), both maturing in 2052. "Net long term liabilities at the end of the year" $ 4,221,241 (2024: 4,358,467).
Statement of financial position: "Cash and cash equivalents" $ 12,734,696 (2024: 11,773,057). In the accumulated surplus: "Reserves and reserve funds" 13,546,736 (2024: 12,598,535).
At the end of 2024, $1.7M of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 11% of everything billed. Only 15 of 82 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $1.2M.
Why are so many property taxes unpaid?
$0$500K$1.0M$1.5M$2.0M
$1.7M
201920202021202220232024
Show as a table
Year
Unpaid property tax at year end
2019
$846K
2020
$1.1M
2021
$875K
2022
$1.1M
2023
$1.2M
2024
$1.7M
Why it matters
When taxes go unpaid, everyone else carries the cost, and the town may borrow to cover the gap. The Province's financial indicators treat 10% to 15% as a moderate risk and more than 15% as a high risk. Collection is the town's job, so a rising number is worth asking about.
It could be because…
The final tax bill was due late in the year, so some payments simply arrived in January.
A few large properties are in dispute or being sold for back taxes.
Hard times for residents, which the town may be handling with payment plans.
Questions you could ask
How much is more than one year overdue, and from how many properties?
Are the rules for chasing unpaid taxes applied the same way to everyone?
Has the town registered tax arrears certificates on properties about two years behind? If still unpaid a year after that, Ontario law lets the town sell the property.
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 McNab-Braeside?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Taxes receivable: 2019 $846K, 2020 $1.1M, 2021 $875K, 2022 $1.1M, 2023 $1.2M, 2024 $1.7M. Of the 2024 total, $479K was from earlier years.
$165,000in health-care requests cut or reduced on March 12, 2026 (worked out by us)
At the March 12, 2026 budget meeting Council cut $50,000 for a CT scanner, $25,000 for "Scope for Hope", and $60,000 for renovations and expansion at a family health team, all listed under Arnprior Regional Health or the Arnprior & District Family Health Team. It also reduced a physician recruitment request from $40,000 to $10,000. Together that is $165,000 (worked out by us). In 2025 the Township's own health services spending was small: $31,222 against a budget of $29,800. The statements say it covers doctor recruitment.
Why it matters
Doctors and hospital equipment are a worry in many rural areas. A cut can be a fair choice about what a small township can afford, but residents should hear the reason and whether the requests will come back.
It could be because…
Hospital and clinic projects are usually paid for by many sources (the province, the County and fundraising). Council may have judged that a small township should give less.
Council was cutting the whole budget from a 5.1% increase to 2.5%, so the cuts may have been about the total, not about health care.
Council may have funded these groups another way, for example through its municipal grant program, which we did not read.
Questions you could ask
What reasons did Council give for each of these cuts?
Will the CT scanner, Scope for Hope and family health team requests come back in a later budget or be paid another way?
What is the Township's plan for doctor recruitment with $10,000 instead of $40,000?
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 McNab-Braeside?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The minutes list under Health & Social Services: "Arnprior Regional Health - CT Scanner - Cut $50,000." "Arnprior Regional Health - Scope for Hope - Cut $25,000." "Arnprior & District Family Health Team - Renovations/Expansion - Cut $60,000." "Physician Recruitment - Reduce the requested $40,000 to $10,000."
Statement of operations: "Health services" 2025 budget 29,800, 2025 actual 31,222, 2024 actual 24,502. Note 11 says: "Health services include expenditures related to the doctor recruitment."
September 15, 2026date of the auditor's report on the 2025 statements
Council adopted the 2026 budget on March 12, 2026. The auditor's report on the 2025 statements is dated September 15, 2026, about six months later (worked out by us). That means the budget was set before the audited 2025 results were final. The opinion is clean: the auditor says the statements "present fairly, in all material respects" the Township's position.
Why it matters
Audited results are the best check on how the last year really went, and they are most useful before the next budget is set. A late audit may be innocent, but residents can ask whether it will be done earlier next year, ahead of the 2027 budget.
It could be because…
Audit dates move for many reasons, including the auditor's schedule, and the Township may have had draft 2025 numbers by March.
A budget can be built on year-end estimates before the audit is done, which is common in small municipalities.
We did not look at why the date fell when it did, and there may be a simple reason.
Questions you could ask
When does the Township expect the 2026 audit to be finished, and will it be before the 2027 budget is adopted?
Does the Township give Council draft year-end results before it sets the next 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 McNab-Braeside?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The auditor's report is signed "RENFREW, Ontario." "15 September 2026." and states: "In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Township as at 31 December 2025".
The minutes of the special meeting held on Thursday, March 12, 2026 record Resolution SM-12-2026: "THAT Council adopt the 2026 Operating and Capital Budget, as amended, at a levy increase of 2.5%." It was carried.
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