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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Pembroke'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 Pembroke's budget, taxes and council decisions. A city in Renfrew County, in the Ottawa Valley, governed by a mayor, a deputy mayor and five councillors who are all elected city-wide. Every figure links back to the public record.
The levy is the amount the City raises from property taxes. The 2026 budget raises it by 6.99% after growth, to $29.6M, out of an operating budget of $43.8M. The City's own breakdown says $857,127 (3.12%) is shared services it does not control, such as land ambulance, social housing and the OPP, $548,435 (2.00%) is a yearly rise to close the gap in funding for infrastructure, and $511,897 (1.87%) is City operations. The City also used $264,795 from a reserve to lower the levy by 1%. The City's own public survey found 42% of people dissatisfied with the value they get for their taxes.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 4 sources
$4Mannual funding gap the City reports for roads, sidewalks, bridges and buildings
Roads, bridges, sidewalks and similar things wear out and must eventually be replaced. The City estimates it owns $412.5M of this kind of infrastructure (not counting water and sewer) and says about $11M of it is "consumed" each year. It says it will put $3.9M into capital projects and capital reserves in 2026, plus $3.1M from federal and provincial grants, which it calls an annual funding gap of $4M. The City says its 2% yearly levy rise will close the gap over eight years, during which a further $17.1M backlog of overdue projects will build up.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
December 16, 2025date of the auditor's report for the year that ended December 31, 2024
Audited statements are the City's yearly report card, checked by an outside accountant. The auditor's report for 2021 is dated November 1, 2022, for 2022 it is dated October 17, 2023, for 2023 it is dated January 7, 2025 and for 2024 it is dated December 16, 2025. Each covers a year that ended on December 31, so the 2024 report was signed about 11.5 months after the year ended (worked out by us). The City posted a notice on January 5, 2026 saying Council adopted the 2024 statements on December 16, 2025. We did not find 2025 statements on the City's page on October 5, 2026.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources
$7,832,958of the 2026 capital plan financed by debt
At December 31, 2024 the City owed $6,197,110 on a construction loan from Ontario Infrastructure Lands Corporation (OILC), a provincial lender, on top of $11,546,625 in long-term debt. The loan allows advances up to $9,500,000 and the statements say the advances will be repaid when OILC buys the City's own debentures (long-term bonds) at the completion of the project. The 2026 capital plan is financed partly by $7,832,958 of debt. The budget slides say the City will pay $1.3M of principal in 2026, "bringing the total debt outstanding to $9M by year-end". Slide 40 lists the new projects (Quarry Road Extension, PACC ice surface and siding, Quarry Reservoir) with an interest rate and maturity of "TBD", so the $9M appears to cover only the debt already issued.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 4 sources
$43,474,594expenses in 2024, against a budget of $37,843,512
The 2024 budget in the audited statements planned expenses of $37,843,512. The statements show $43,474,594 spent, which is $5,631,082 more (worked out by us). Transportation services (roads, sidewalks, street lighting and winter control) were budgeted at $4,066,225 and came in at $6,944,153, which is 71% higher (worked out by us). The City still ended 2024 with an annual surplus of $10,597,924, a little less than the $11,727,252 budgeted. The statements say amortization (the yearly cost of wear on assets) was $7,336,982, and a note says that capital amounts are "in some cases" left out of the budget.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
No amount givenfor a legal proceeding about an unfulfilled lease obligation, in the 2023 and 2024 statements
A contingent liability is money the City might have to pay depending on how something turns out. The City's 2024 statements, and its 2023 statements, say the City "is the subject of a legal proceeding related to an unfulfilled obligation of a lease agreement" and that management believes the amount, if any, "cannot be reasonably determined at this time". The 2022 statements do not mention it. No amount is given and the statements do not say who is on the other side or who the landlord or tenant is.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 2 sources
$16,028,230forecast total reserves and reserve funds at the end of 2026, down from $16,999,325
Reserves are savings set aside for a purpose. The City's forecast shows all reserves and reserve funds falling from $16,999,325 at the end of 2025 to $16,028,230 at the end of 2026. Several single reserves are below zero at December 31, 2025: Equipment and Vehicles (2,847), the Water and Wastewater Fleet/Equipment reserve fund (46,290), and the Library Multicultural Festival reserve (127). The City says the development charges commitments for 2026 and later "exceed current available funding". A development charge is a fee paid by builders to cover growth costs.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
2posted reports that found a breach, in 2023 and 2024
The City posts public Integrity Commissioner reports. Two of them found a breach. On November 6, 2023 the Commissioner found that Councillor Troy Purcell's comments about staff at the April 18, 2023 council meeting breached the Code, and recommended that his pay be suspended for 15 days and that he read an apology at an open meeting. On October 8, 2024 the Commissioner found that a statement by Councillor Ian Kuehl breached the Code and recommended that Council issue a public reprimand. Under the Municipal Act it is Council that decides what, if anything, to do. We did not read the minutes, so we do not know what Council decided.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 2 sources
2024 tax year · Pembroke, 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 Pembroke'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 Pembroke.
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Pembroke's share by what each service cost in 2024 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.
How Pembroke's share of the bill compares with similar places
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