Council BooksNorth KawarthaOntarioSign inSubscribe
Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Older reportDetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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
An older report. We have no 2024 report for North Kawartha in the Province's latest release, so these pages use its 2023 report. It may simply be filed late.
Read by hand. We read North Kawartha'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.
Ontario / North KawarthaUpdated Oct 7, 2026

Your town, in plain words

How North Kawartha uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to North Kawartha's budget, taxes and council decisions. A township in Peterborough County, in the Kawarthas, with a mayor, a deputy mayor and three councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Your typical 2023 property tax bill$3,720on a $420K home42% Town41% County17% SchoolsSee your tax bill explained →
Town spending, 2023$7.9MAbout $1,981 per household, up 6.5% from 2022.See the money →
Property tax change+3.2%North Kawartha's own property tax came to $6.4M in 2023, against $6.2M in 2022.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Police, fire and safety$2.2M · 27%
Roads and snow$1.7M · 21%
Running the town office$1.7M · 21%
Parks, arena and library$1.5M · 19%
Show all 7 servicesShow fewer
Water, sewers and garbage$610K · 8%
Planning and business$230K · 3%
Health$32,570 · 0%

Day-to-day spending in 2023, from North Kawartha's report to the Province.

A fair comparisonHow does North Kawartha compare?Among 45 similar Ontario towns, North Kawartha's day-to-day spending per household is on the low side.North Kawartha is here · 8 of 45, lowest to highestCompare North Kawartha →

Questions worth asking

A closer look at the numbers.

Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.

All 8 questions
Worth askingRising costs

Why has the building and by-law department's cost to taxpayers climbed from $27,668 to $173,256 in two budgets?

$112,343.73shortfall of building permit fees against costs in 2024 (preliminary, unaudited)

The Township's budget shows what each department costs taxpayers after its own fees and other income are taken off. For building and by-law enforcement that number was $27,668 in the 2023 budget, $123,387 in 2024 and $173,256 in 2025. The Township's building permit fee report for 2024 shows fees fell $112,343.73 short of the building department's costs, and the building reserve (savings set aside for this) held only $2,635. The 2025 report shows a small surplus.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources

Worth askingOpenness

Why are the audited statements for 2023 the latest ones posted, with the auditor's report dated December 19, 2025?

December 19, 2025date of the auditor's report on the 2023 statements

Audited financial statements are the independent check on a township's books. The 2023 statements carry an auditor's report dated December 19, 2025, almost two years after the year ended (worked out by us). On October 7, 2026 the Township's financial statements page listed 2023 and no later year.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources

Worth askingRising costs

Why were roads projected to finish over budget in both 2023 and 2024, and why is the 2025 budget 12.1% higher?

$67,358projected over budget for roads in 2024, after $58,499 projected over in 2023

Roads is the Township's biggest department. The 2024 summary projected roads to end 2023 over budget by $58,499. The 2025 summary projected 2024 over budget by $67,358, and raised the 2025 net budget by $180,843 (12.1%) to $1,676,565. The budget sheet shows repairs and maintenance projected $130,520 over for 2024. These are budget figures that leave out amortization, and the gaps are against the Township's own projections on the same basis, so they are not an amortization effect.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources

Worth askingMoney health

How will the Township pay to close its seven landfill sites, and which opening figure is right?

$662,800landfill obligation at December 31, 2023, listed as unfunded

The 2023 audited statements record a landfill closure and care obligation of $662,800 for seven sites, and label it "Unfunded" in the accumulated surplus note. The Township holds $9,438,390 in reserves, none named for landfill. The statements also give the opening adjustment as $664,200 in one note and $644,200 in another.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources

Show 4 more questionsShow fewer
Good to knowRising costs

Why does the planning and zoning budget's salary line go up by $91,580 in 2025?

$240,100planning salaries, wages and benefits in the 2025 budget, up from $148,520

The planning and zoning sheet shows salaries, wages and benefits rising from $148,520 in the 2024 budget to $240,100 in 2025, a 161.7% change, while contracted services fall from $100,375 to $56,115. The Township's budget page says its 2026 increase is partly due to additional positions. We did not find an explanation for the 2025 change.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources

Good to knowOpenness

Where is the 2026 budget the Township describes?

4.99%increase in the 2026 budget over 2025, as the Township's page describes it

The Township's budget page describes a 2026 budget with a 4.99% increase over 2025 and a 4.16% rise in the municipal tax rate. The documents it links under budget summaries are for 2025 (passed February 4, 2025), with 2024 sheets below them. We did not find the 2026 department sheets or the date council passed the 2026 budget.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources

Good to knowRecord-keeping

Why do two 2025 department totals on the summary page differ from the department sheets?

$3,876difference for General Government between the summary page and its own sheet (worked out by us)

The 2025 summary page gives Planning a 2025 budget of 253,646 and General Government 1,483,034. The department sheets for the same two departments print 253,196 (Total Budget) and 1,479,158 (Net Budget). The other departments we compared (Building, Roads, Fire, Waste) match.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources

2023 tax year · North Kawartha, Ontario

Your tax bill, worked out.

Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what North Kawartha'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 North Kawartha.

Source

a year in property tax, at 2023 rates

  • North Kawartha
  • County or region
  • Schools

North Kawartha council sets only its own share. County or region sets its share, the Province sets the school rate.

See what your North Kawartha share pays forHide the breakdown

Roughly what your North Kawartha share pays for

Source
  • Police, fire and safety
  • Running the town office
  • Roads and snow
  • Parks, arena and library
  • Water, sewers and garbage
  • Planning and business
  • Health

An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits North Kawartha's share by what each service cost in 2023 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.

  • Every fact, sourced

    Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.

  • No accusations

    We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.

  • Compared fairly

    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 North Kawartha's council · Council Books is free and paid for by readers: support this work.