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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Neebing'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 Neebing's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 26 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.
$1,122,000still to spend on the fire bay at December 31, 2025, per the audited statements (the 2026 budget has $1,500,000)
Neebing is building a new fire bay (an addition to its fire hall). Three Municipal documents give three different pictures of what is left to pay: $1,122,000 in the audited statements, $1,500,000 in the 2026 budget, and $1,600,000 in the capital plan report. The 2025 budget had planned $2,775,000 for the building. We worked out that what is already spent plus the statements' remaining estimate is $2,176,435, which is less than the 2025 budget but more than the $2,000,000 the lender has approved to advance.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$566,405from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation in 2025, against a budget of $1,382,573
The 2025 statements budgeted $1,382,573 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and show $566,405 received or counted as revenue. At year end the Municipality was still owed $560,991 by that fund. The 2025 budget also lists a "FireSafety Bay Grant" of 1,382,573, the same figure. We did not find a document that says these are the same grant.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$977left in the rate stabilization reserve in 2035 under the capital plan, from $1,142,021 at the end of 2025
A reserve is savings set aside by bylaw. Neebing's biggest one, the rate stabilization reserve, held $1,142,021 at December 31, 2025. The Municipality's own staff report says it is used as a placeholder in the capital plan, and the plan draws it down to $977 by 2035, with another $1,000,000 for road resurfacing in 2029 that is not funded. The same report says fire bay loan payments are expected to come from it.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$118,659loss on disposal of portfolio investments in 2025
The audited statements say that in 2025 the Municipality sold all its holdings with ONE Investment and reinvested in pooled funds run by Phillips, Hager & North (PH&N). The statements show a loss of $118,659 on selling investments. The June 2026 reserve report still describes reserve money as managed through the ONE Joint Investment Board and attaches an approval letter from it dated March 2, 2026.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$230,000land sales in the 2026 budget, against none received in 2025 on a budget of $116,777
The 2025 budget counted on $116,777 from land sales. The 2025 cash flow statement shows no proceeds from the sale of land. The 2026 budget now counts on $230,000. The Municipality's website lists one surplus property for sale, a 95 acre land-locked parcel near Milne Road with an asking price of $30,000.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
At the end of 2024, $521K of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 15% of everything billed. Only 5 of 26 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $440K.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
The 2025 budget was passed on May 21, 2025, nearly five months into the year it covers. The Municipality's website says budgets are set "each Spring". The 2026 budget file we found prints a by-law number (2026-024) but no date, so we could not tell when it passed.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
11.0%rise in the policing line between the 2025 and 2026 budgets, worked out by us from 290,600 and 322,566
Neebing pays other bodies for policing, ambulance, public health and social housing and welfare. Between the two budgets, policing rose from 290,600 to 322,566, which we worked out is 11.0%. Ambulance and health unit lines rose about 5%, and the municipal levy rose 4.05% (all worked out by us).
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
842,646printed as accretion in Schedule 3 but as amortization in Schedule 2
Schedule 2 and note 8 give accretion of 87,324 and amortization of 842,646. Schedule 3, the breakdown by service, prints 842,646 on its "Accretion" row and 87,324 on its "Amortization" row. Amortization is the yearly wearing-out cost of buildings and roads, so the labels matter for anyone judging what a service costs.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$1,122,000still to spend on the fire bay at December 31, 2025, per the audited statements (the 2026 budget has $1,500,000)
Neebing is building a new fire bay (an addition to its fire hall). Three Municipal documents give three different pictures of what is left to pay: $1,122,000 in the audited statements, $1,500,000 in the 2026 budget, and $1,600,000 in the capital plan report. The 2025 budget had planned $2,775,000 for the building. We worked out that what is already spent plus the statements' remaining estimate is $2,176,435, which is less than the 2025 budget but more than the $2,000,000 the lender has approved to advance.
Why it matters
A loan for the fire bay will be paid back from the tax levy or from savings. For a small municipality whose 2026 levy is 3,242,517, a few hundred thousand dollars more or less matters. Residents are voting on a new council on October 26, 2026, and the new council inherits the finished building and its loan.
It could be because…
The estimates were made at different times and for different purposes. The capital plan figure is for "planning purposes", and the statements give a remaining cost at year end.
Part of the 2026 figure may be work that was planned to be finished in 2025 and slipped, or items that go with the building (equipment, fit-up) that the statements' estimate does not include.
The 2025 budget may have been set high on purpose so that grants and a loan of the right size could be applied for.
Questions you could ask
What is the total expected cost of the fire bay, what has been spent so far, and how does the $1,600,000 estimate relate to the $1,122,000 and $1,500,000 figures?
How large will the debenture be, what are its terms, and how much a year will it add to the cost of the fire hall?
If the fire bay costs more than the loan and grants cover, which reserve or levy pays the difference?
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 Neebing?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The 2025 budget lists "Fire - Building Capital" at 2,775,000, a "FireSafety Bay Grant" of 1,382,573 and a "Loan for Fire Bay" of 1,350,000.
Schedule 1 says "Buildings includes the new fire bay with a carrying value of $1,054,435 (2024 - $26,499)" and that "Construction is expected to be completed in 2026 with an estimated remaining costs of $1,122,000." Note 12 says the Municipality was approved for advances totalling $2,000,000 from Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation, that $500,000 had been received at December 31, 2025, and that the terms of the debenture "have not been determined".
The December 2025 capital plan report lists as a 2026 major project "Finish Fire Bay: $1,600,000 est for planning purposes, offset by grant and loan". It also says the Canada Community Building Fund money of $146,786 "should have been used for the Fire Bay" and would instead go to a culvert, and that "Rate Stabilization may also be used to pay for the Fire Bay Loan".
$566,405from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation in 2025, against a budget of $1,382,573
The 2025 statements budgeted $1,382,573 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and show $566,405 received or counted as revenue. At year end the Municipality was still owed $560,991 by that fund. The 2025 budget also lists a "FireSafety Bay Grant" of 1,382,573, the same figure. We did not find a document that says these are the same grant.
Why it matters
Neebing's 2026 municipal levy is 3,242,517, so a grant that arrives late can leave the Municipality short of cash. In 2023 Council had to draw $200,000 from a reserve while waiting for grant payments.
It could be because…
Grants of this kind are often paid as costs are spent. If the fire bay is only partly built, only part of the grant is earned so far.
The receivable of $560,991 is money the fund has agreed to pay but has not yet paid.
Questions you could ask
What is the status of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund grant, how much has been paid to date, and when is the rest expected?
Is the $1,382,573 "FireSafety Bay Grant" in the budget the same grant as the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund transfer in the statements?
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 Neebing?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Note 10, Government Transfers: Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, budget 1,382,573, 2025 actual 566,405, 2024 614,145.
The reserve report says that in 2023 "a temporary drawdown from the Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund of $200,000 was authorized by Council to address a temporary funding shortfall when waiting for NOHFC and Farm Road Bridge grant payments", repaid in 2024 with interest.
$977left in the rate stabilization reserve in 2035 under the capital plan, from $1,142,021 at the end of 2025
A reserve is savings set aside by bylaw. Neebing's biggest one, the rate stabilization reserve, held $1,142,021 at December 31, 2025. The Municipality's own staff report says it is used as a placeholder in the capital plan, and the plan draws it down to $977 by 2035, with another $1,000,000 for road resurfacing in 2029 that is not funded. The same report says fire bay loan payments are expected to come from it.
Why it matters
A rate stabilization reserve exists so a bad year does not force a big tax jump. If it is already spoken for years ahead, there may be little left for a surprise, and the capital plan assumes yearly tax increases of 4% to 5% for 10 years.
It could be because…
The report says the placeholder use "is not in conflict with bylaw" and does not commit the money. The plan is revised every year, and grants not yet known may change it.
The staff report is itself a request for direction. Council may have decided to change how the reserve is described or used at its June 3, 2026 meeting. We did not read the minutes.
Questions you could ask
What did Council decide on June 3, 2026 about how the rate stabilization reserve is described and used?
How would the Municipality pay for an unexpected cost in 2028 or 2029 if the reserve has already been committed in the plan?
How large a yearly levy increase would the 2029 road work need if it stays unfunded?
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 Neebing?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
At December 31, 2025 the rate stabilization balance was $1,142,021, of $3,706,875 in all reserve funds. The report says the fund's use in capital planning "is a bit of a shell game, as future costs and income from future grants are unknown", and that Council may want to redistribute funds or change the bylaw wording.
The report lists planned drawdowns from the reserve: $400,000 in 2027 for a plow truck, $250,000 in 2028, $350,000 in 2029 "with another $1,000,000 unfunded for chipseal projects", and says the ending balance is $977 in 2035. It says loan payments for the fire bay "are anticipated to come from the Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund until tax revenue from the growth in new assessment can address the loan payments".
The 2026 budget draws $261,500 from the "Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund" and puts $109,036 into it, in addition to a "Cash Surplus (Deficit) from Previous Year" of 330,831.
The capital plan report says the plan "assumes an annual tax increase of between 4% and 5% a year to be continued for 10 years" and that there is a "funding pinch point that will occur in 2029".
$118,659loss on disposal of portfolio investments in 2025
The audited statements say that in 2025 the Municipality sold all its holdings with ONE Investment and reinvested in pooled funds run by Phillips, Hager & North (PH&N). The statements show a loss of $118,659 on selling investments. The June 2026 reserve report still describes reserve money as managed through the ONE Joint Investment Board and attaches an approval letter from it dated March 2, 2026.
Why it matters
Reserve money is about $3.7 million, more than the yearly tax levy. Residents are owed a clear answer on who manages it, under what policy, and what any change cost.
It could be because…
The Municipality may have moved to a different arrangement approved by Council and by its investment board, and the reserve report may describe the policy framework rather than where each dollar sits.
A loss on selling can be paired with gains: the same statements show investment income of $556,967 and the report says a "gain on redemption" was shared across the reserves in 2025.
Selling at a loss can happen when a fund is being replaced and the new funds are expected to do better. We did not find the reasons in the documents we read.
Questions you could ask
Who decided to move the investments out of ONE Investment in 2025, and what was the reason?
What was the total of fees and losses from the move, and what is the new yearly management cost?
Is the reserve money still under the ONE Joint Investment Board's plan, and if not, which policy governs it?
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 Neebing?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Note 4: "During the current year, the Municipality disposed of all investments held with One Investment and reinvested with pooled funds managed by Phillips, Hager & North (PH&N)." Portfolio investments at fair market value were 3,186,992 against a cost of 3,108,203.
The reserve report says reserve funds not needed right away are placed "under the management of the ONE Joint Investment Board", that the investment policy statement was last reviewed by Council on January 21, 2026, and that Attachment 2 is "the letter from ONE JIB regarding the 2026 Investment Plan Approval". It also says that in 2025 "the gain on redemption was distributed between all reserve funds".
$230,000land sales in the 2026 budget, against none received in 2025 on a budget of $116,777
The 2025 budget counted on $116,777 from land sales. The 2025 cash flow statement shows no proceeds from the sale of land. The 2026 budget now counts on $230,000. The Municipality's website lists one surplus property for sale, a 95 acre land-locked parcel near Milne Road with an asking price of $30,000.
Why it matters
A budget that counts on land sales has to be balanced some other way if the land does not sell. The 2026 budget also puts $200,000 into a park reserve and $45,000 toward buying a property at Oliver Lake, so the sale money may be meant for these things.
It could be because…
Other land may be sold in 2026 (for example small parcels to neighbours) that is not advertised on the website.
The 2025 sale may simply have slipped into 2026, and the higher 2026 figure may include it.
Past land sales were made in earlier years (the reserve report lists sales in 2020, 2021 and 2022), so the Municipality does have a record of selling.
Questions you could ask
Which properties make up the $230,000 in land sales, and have any been sold or are any under offer?
What happens to the 2026 budget if the sales do not happen this year?
What are the $200,000 park reserve contribution and the Oliver Lake purchase meant to pay for?
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 Neebing?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The 2025 budget has "Land Sales" of 116,777 as revenue.
The 2026 budget has "Land Sales" of 230,000 as revenue, "Park Recreation Reserve" of 200,000 under Recreation Expenditures, and "Park Improvements" of 130,000 under capital.
The reserve report lists land sales credited to the rate stabilization reserve of 133,120.20 in 2020, 74,009.02 in 2021 and 113,000.00 in 2022, and a 2026 transfer out of that reserve of $45,000 for "Oliver Lake Property Purchase".
At the end of 2024, $521K of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 15% of everything billed. Only 5 of 26 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $440K.
Why are so many property taxes unpaid?
$0$200K$400K$600K
$521K
201920202021202220232024
Show as a table
Year
Unpaid property tax at year end
2019
$286K
2020
$355K
2021
$367K
2022
$382K
2023
$440K
2024
$521K
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 Neebing?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Taxes receivable: 2019 $286K, 2020 $355K, 2021 $367K, 2022 $382K, 2023 $440K, 2024 $521K. Of the 2024 total, $142K was from earlier years.
The 2025 budget was passed on May 21, 2025, nearly five months into the year it covers. The Municipality's website says budgets are set "each Spring". The 2026 budget file we found prints a by-law number (2026-024) but no date, so we could not tell when it passed.
Why it matters
Residents can only comment on a budget before it is passed. Knowing the date of passing, and what was spent before it, tells them when their voice mattered.
It could be because…
A small municipality may wait for provincial grant notices (such as the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund) and the year's assessment before setting its budget.
The Municipality may run on an earlier-year spending plan until the budget passes. We did not find the details.
Questions you could ask
On what date did Council pass the 2026 budget, and could the file posted online show that date?
What spending authority applies between January 1 and the date the budget passes?
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 Neebing?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Each page of the 2025 budget reads "2025 BUDGET passed May 21, 2025 By-Law 2025-023".
The budget page says "Budget talks are usually held during the first part of the year" and that the capital plan is used when the budget "is set each Spring".
11.0%rise in the policing line between the 2025 and 2026 budgets, worked out by us from 290,600 and 322,566
Neebing pays other bodies for policing, ambulance, public health and social housing and welfare. Between the two budgets, policing rose from 290,600 to 322,566, which we worked out is 11.0%. Ambulance and health unit lines rose about 5%, and the municipal levy rose 4.05% (all worked out by us).
Why it matters
These bills are set by others and Council has less say over them, yet they grow as fast as, or faster than, the tax levy that pays for them.
It could be because…
The statements say police services are contracted through the Ontario Provincial Police, so the bill follows the contract and the number of properties and calls, not a Neebing decision.
Part of the increase may be a catch-up from a previous year or a change in how the cost is shared. We did not find an explanation in the documents we read.
Questions you could ask
What explains the policing increase, and what is the multi-year outlook for the policing bill?
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 Neebing?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
2025 budget: Policing 290,600; Land Ambulance 356,017; T.B. Dist. Health Unit 60,984; Social Housing 208,639; Municipal Levy 3,116,367.
842,646printed as accretion in Schedule 3 but as amortization in Schedule 2
Schedule 2 and note 8 give accretion of 87,324 and amortization of 842,646. Schedule 3, the breakdown by service, prints 842,646 on its "Accretion" row and 87,324 on its "Amortization" row. Amortization is the yearly wearing-out cost of buildings and roads, so the labels matter for anyone judging what a service costs.
Why it matters
Residents and journalists use these tables to compare departments. A swapped label can lead to the wrong idea of where the cost sits, and it shows the audited file was not fully proofread.
It could be because…
A simple typing error in two row labels. The totals and the other statements agree with each other.
The same swap appears in the 2024 columns, so it may be carried in a template from year to year.
Questions you could ask
Will the Municipality correct the labels in Schedule 3 and tell the auditor?
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 Neebing?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
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