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things out.Older reportDetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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.
Questions · 8 so far
Things worth asking about
We read North Kawartha's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 44 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.
$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
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
$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
$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
$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
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
$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
$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.
Why it matters
Building permit fees are meant to pay for the building department. When they fall short, property tax pays the difference. A reserve of $2,635 is very small against a gap of that size.
It could be because…
Fewer permits were issued in 2024, and fees move up and down with building activity.
The by-law enforcement part of the department is paid by taxes on purpose, not by permit fees.
The 2025 surplus of $12,882.25 shows the gap may have been a one-year dip.
The Township's budget leaves out amortization (the yearly wearing out of assets), so this gap is not an amortization effect: it is salaries, training and similar costs against income.
Questions you could ask
How was the 2024 shortfall of $112,343.73 paid for, and did property tax cover it?
Why has the building reserve stayed at $2,635 since 2022, and what is the plan to rebuild it?
Which part of the building and by-law department's budget is meant to be paid by taxes, and which by permit fees?
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 North Kawartha?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The Bldg By-Law line shows a 2023 budget of 27,668, a 2023 year-end projection of 87,668 (variance (60,000)) and a 2024 budget of 123,387, which the sheet prints as a 346.0% change.
The Bldg By-Law line shows a 2024 budget of 123,387, a 2024 year-end projection of 161,491 (variance (38,104)) and a 2025 budget of 173,256, a 40.4% change.
For 2024 the report shows Building Permits $358,666.58, Total Expenditures $471,010.31 and Surplus/(Deficit) (112,343.73), with a Reserve Fund Balance of $2,635.00. It notes the figures are based on preliminary unaudited financial statements for 2024.
For 2025 the report shows Building Permits $333,664.64, Total Expenditures $320,782.39 and an approximate surplus to be transferred to reserve of 12,882.25, with the Reserve Fund Balance still $2,635.00. It says the actual amount will be determined per audit.
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.
Why it matters
Residents vote on October 26, 2026. Without audited 2024 and 2025 statements, the figures they can check are from before 2024, and the building permit reports say their own 2024 and 2025 numbers are preliminary and unaudited.
It could be because…
The Township adopted several new accounting standards on January 1, 2023, including one for asset retirement obligations, which can slow an audit.
The 2024 statements may be finished but not yet posted.
A change of auditor or staffing gaps may have delayed the work.
Questions you could ask
When will the audited 2024 and 2025 statements be finished and posted?
What caused the delay in finishing the 2023 audit?
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 North Kawartha?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The independent auditor's report from Baker Tilly KDN LLP, Peterborough, is dated December 19, 2025 and gives the opinion that the statements "present fairly, in all material respects" the Township's position at December 31, 2023.
The Township's Financial Statements page, under Audited Financial Statements, links one set of statements, "2023 Financial Statements", read on October 7, 2026.
$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.
Why it matters
A department that keeps ending the year over its budget may be budgeted too low, or may be absorbing costs the budget does not plan for. Roads also leans heavily on reserve savings: the 2025 sheet shows a transfer from reserve of (950,565).
It could be because…
Winter weather and storm damage are hard to predict.
Capital work and new construction lines are timed around grants and reserves, so the net line swings.
The projections were made in the third quarter, so the year-end result may differ.
Questions you could ask
What caused repairs and maintenance on roads to run $130,520 over in 2024?
Did roads finish 2023 and 2024 over budget, and by how much, once the audited numbers are in?
How much of the 2025 roads increase is planned work and how much is catching up to actual costs?
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 North Kawartha?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The Roads line shows a 2023 budget of 1,465,807, a 2023 year-end projection of 1,524,306 and a variance of (58,499).
The Roads line shows a 2024 budget of 1,495,722, a 2024 year-end projection of 1,563,080, a variance of (67,358), a 2025 budget of 1,676,565 and a variance budget to budget of 180,843, or 12.1%.
On the Roads sheet, Repairs & Maintenance is 283,959 in the 2024 budget and 414,479 in the year-end projection (variance (130,520)), and 337,800 in the 2025 budget. Transfer from Reserve is (1,168,933) in the 2024 budget and (950,565) in the 2025 budget.
$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.
Why it matters
Closing landfills costs money for decades, and the figures are estimates. Residents can ask whether savings are being set aside, and a $20,000 mismatch inside one set of statements should be explained.
It could be because…
"Unfunded" here is an accounting label: it means no separate fund is set aside, not that the Township cannot pay.
The costs fall many years away: the estimate runs to closure and for 25 years after.
The $20,000 difference is a typing error in one note.
Questions you could ask
Does the Township plan to set money aside for landfill closure, and in which reserve?
Which opening figure is correct, $664,200 or $644,200?
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 North Kawartha?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Note 5 says the Township "owns and operates seven landfill sites", uses a discount rate of 4.5% and an inflation rate of 3.0%, shows an adjustment on adoption of the standard of 664,200, remediation costs incurred of (90,561), accretion expense of 89,161 and a closing balance of 662,800.
Note 17 says the adjustments at January 1, 2023 were a decrease of $686,200 to the old landfill liability and "an increase of $644,200 to opening asset retirement obligation liability".
Note 10 shows "Unfunded asset retirement obligation" of (662,800). Reserves are Working funds 1,577,132, General 3,061,531, Future capital 4,701,417, Libraries 95,675 and Building 2,635, totalling 9,438,390.
North Kawartha spent $1.2M on running the town office in 2019 and $1.7M in 2023. Prices only went up about 16% in that time.
Why did the cost of running the town office grow 45% in 4 years?
Running the town office
Prices (inflation)
+0%+10%+20%+30%+40%+50%
+45%
20192020202120222023
Show as a table
Year
Running the town office
Prices (inflation)
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+17%
+1%
2021
+21%
+4%
2022
+37%
+11%
2023
+45%
+16%
Change since the first year shown. The grey line is how much prices rose overall, for comparison.
Why it matters
Money spent running the office is money not spent on roads, water or safety. When office costs grow much faster than the services people see, it is fair to ask what the extra money is buying.
It could be because…
The town added a service, a building or staff that residents asked for.
Costs were moved from another area, so the total did not really change.
Accounting rules changed how costs are sorted.
Large one-time costs, like a study, lawsuit or repair, landed in one year.
Questions you could ask
What did the extra $523K a year pay for?
Why did senior management go from $1.0M to $1.5M?
Was each increase approved by council as a separate decision, or did it happen through the yearly 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 North Kawartha?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Running the town office: 2019 $1.2M, 2020 $1.4M, 2021 $1.4M, 2022 $1.6M, 2023 $1.7M.
$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.
Why it matters
A new staff cost repeats every year. The sheet suggests some work moved from outside contractors to staff, which could be a good trade, but the Township has not said so on the pages we read.
It could be because…
A position was added or made full-time, with the contracted services line cut to match.
The Township's own explanation is in a staff report or minutes that we could not read, because the meetings site blocked us.
Questions you could ask
Was a position added to planning in 2025, and did contracted planning services fall because of it?
Which departments got the additional positions the Township mentions for 2026?
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 North Kawartha?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
On the Planning and Zoning sheet, Salaries, Wages & Benefits is 148,520 in the 2024 budget and 240,100 in the 2025 budget. Contracted Services is 100,375 in the 2024 budget, 41,375 in the year-end projection and 56,115 in the 2025 budget.
The Township's budget page says: "Some of the 2026 increases are due to increased Insurance costs, Human Resources (additional positions), Policing contract increases, Equipment and Vehicle Maintenance costs, and Computer Hardware and Software expenses." It does not say which department.
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.
Why it matters
Voters going to the polls on October 26, 2026 can only compare the Township's current spending with its plan if the current budget is posted.
It could be because…
The 2026 sheets exist but are not yet linked on the budget page.
The Township may publish the 2026 detail only in council agenda packages, which we could not read.
Questions you could ask
Where are the 2026 budget sheets, and on what date did council pass 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 North Kawartha?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The Township's budget page says: "The 2026 Municipal Budget includes a 4.99% increase in dollar to dollar over the 2025 Budget, which resulted in a 4.16% increase in the municipal tax rate". Lower on the page it says: "The 2025 summary budget information can be found below".
$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.
Why it matters
Small differences are not alarming, but the Township should be able to say which figure council passed.
It could be because…
The summary page was updated after a late change to the budget, and the sheets were not.
A typing mistake in one of the two documents.
Questions you could ask
Which figures did council pass for Planning and General Government in 2025?
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 North Kawartha?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
The summary row for Planning shows a 2025 budget of 253,646 and the row for General Government shows 1,483,034.
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