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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Oakville'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.
A clear, checkable guide to Oakville's budget, taxes and council decisions. A town of about 240,000 people in Halton Region, with a mayor, seven ward councillors and seven who also sit on Halton Region council. Every figure links back to the public record.
$10.00Mtaken out of the capital levy in 2026 for stormwater; the 2027 forecast shows $26,536,500 of outside revenue for the stormwater program
Stormwater is the rain and snowmelt that runs off roofs and roads into the town's drains and creeks. In 2026 Oakville started charging a separate stormwater fee and cut its yearly capital levy (a part of property tax set aside for building and repairing things) by $10.00 million, the amount it says it used to spend on stormwater from taxes. The 2026 budget shows $10,075,300 of outside revenue for the stormwater program, mostly the new fees, while homes pay only half the full fee and businesses a quarter. The town's own forecast for 2027 shows $26,536,500 of outside revenue, and the fee is to reach its full rate in 2028 for homes ($273 a year for a detached home, against $137 in 2026). The town's page says the fee "is not a new cost". The documents we read do not show how the fee total after the phase-in compares with the $10.00 million taken out of taxes. The budget also moves $7.3 million of the 2026 fee into a new Stormwater Reserve Fund.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 8 sources
$221,581,300forecast cost of the unfunded Centennial Square project in the 2026 capital details (2028 to 2035)
The Downtown Cultural Hub is the town's plan to rebuild its downtown cultural buildings, starting with a new Central Library on the former Post Office site. The library part has a budget line with financing: the 2026-2035 capital details print a total of $70,637,800 and $59,000,000 of long-term financing (borrowing). A second project, "DCH - Centennial Square", is listed under "Unfunded" with a total of $221,581,300, starting in 2028 and completing in 2035. The 2025 budget printed the same project at $221,000,000 and "Not Applicable" for completion. The budget says a financing strategy "will be developed".
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
-$8.6Mprojected end-2026 balance of the Stormwater reserve fund in the budget schedule (equipment reserves -$5.2M, Harbours -$7.9M)
A reserve is money a town sets aside for a purpose, such as replacing vehicles. The town's audited 2025 statements print an equipment reserve of (480) thousand dollars at the end of 2025, down from 7,570 thousand, and a Harbours reserve fund of (7,238) thousand. The 2026 budget's schedule projects the end of 2026 at (5.2) million dollars for equipment reserves, (7.9) million for the Harbours reserve fund and (8.6) million for the new Stormwater reserve fund, which starts at nothing and spends $15.8 million of projects against a $7.3 million transfer. The budget also says that capital, equipment and building reserves "decline over the forecast period". We did not find the town's explanation of how it covers a reserve that is below zero.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
4.5% vs 6.00%the Mayor's 2025 budget direction against the town increase the 2025 budget prints (the whole tax bill rose 4.91%)
Under Ontario's "strong mayor" rules, Oakville's Mayor issues a written direction each June telling staff what tax increase to build the next budget around. The June 17, 2024 direction asked for "an overall tax levy increase of 4.5%" for 2025. The adopted 2025 budget prints a program increase of 8.43%, a town increase of 6.00% after growth in the tax base, and an overall tax bill increase of 4.91%. For 2026 the June 16, 2025 direction said "up to 3.50 per cent"; the budget prints 3.04%, 0.47% and 1.96%. Neither direction defines "overall tax levy increase", so we cannot tell which of those figures it compares with.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$59,000,000new debt for the Central Library, with payments to come from OEC dividends (the 2025 dividend was $12,200,000)
Oakville Enterprises Corporation (OEC) is a corporation the town owns. The town's 2026 budget says the Central Library's $59 million of borrowing, and the town's yearly payments toward its hospital debt, are paid from OEC's dividends (the share of profit a company pays its owner). The budget's debt schedule shows the town's total outstanding debt going from 140,926 (thousand dollars) at the end of 2025 to a projected 202,627 (thousand dollars) in 2026. In its statements OEC paid the town a dividend of $12,200,000 in 2025 and $6,100,000 in 2024. The documents we read do not say what yearly debt payment the library borrowing will create, or what dividend the town plans on.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$226,693,0002025 annual surplus on the audited statements, of which $114,165,000 is contributed assets rather than cash
The audited statements show an annual surplus of $226,693,000 for 2025, against a budgeted surplus of $175,214,000. A surplus on these statements is not spare cash. The cash flow statement takes $114,165,000 of "Developer contributions of tangible capital assets" (land and roads handed over by developers) out of the surplus as an item not involving cash. The statements' budget column also leaves out some costs, so it is not measured the same way as the actual column. The statement of financial position prints net financial assets of $629,303,000 at the end of 2025 against $630,536,000 a year earlier, which is nearly unchanged.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
In 2025, Oakville collected $23.8M more in its own property tax than in 2024. That is a 9% jump, while prices went up about 2.1%. None of the 8 similar towns raised theirs by more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 8 sources
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