Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to Perth's budget, taxes and council decisions. A town in Lanark County, in eastern Ontario, with a mayor and six councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
Follow Perth in one tapWhere it goes
Questions worth asking
Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.
$149per home on council, 2024
Perth spent about $149 per home on council in 2024. The typical similar town spent $57. Only 6 of 78 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
$50Mof new debt expected by 2034, against about $40M of room under the current limit (the Town's words)
A town may only borrow so much each year: the province sets an annual repayment limit, which is the most a town can pay out each year on its debts. The 2026 budget says the Town expects to need $50M in new debt between 2026 and 2034, and that this is more than the $40M its current limit would allow. The 2026 budget asks Council to borrow $2M more. After the end of 2025 the Town says it obtained $3.3 million in financing, and it has signed a $4.3 million contract for a new municipal building to be paid for with outside financing.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$4,653,188spent on capital in 2025, against a budget of $11,160,915
Capital spending is money spent on things that last, such as roads, pipes and buildings. The 2025 budget planned $11,160,915 of it. The audited statements show $4,653,188 was spent. The Town also says Council approved carrying about $4.8 million of projects over into 2026, and that it has a $3.7 million wastewater plant commitment to be paid by a government grant. The Town's own note explains that its budget was not set on the same basis as its statements, which accounts for some of the difference in the surplus.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
September 22, 2026date of the 2025 auditor's report (2024: June 24, 2025)
An audit is an outside accountant's check that a town's yearly statements are fair. The 2024 auditor's report is dated June 24, 2025. The 2025 report is dated September 22, 2026, which is 90 days later in the calendar year (worked out by us). Both are from KPMG LLP and both are clean. The 2024 report was signed in "Perth, Canada" and the 2025 one in "Kingston, Canada". The 2026 budget was adopted in December 2025 and says the cost of projects carried forward from 2025 is not approved until the audit is done. The 2025 auditor's opinion also names "the Corporation of the Township of Perth", though the Town is not a township.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$17,295,055cash at December 31, 2025, up from $8,569,397 a year earlier
At the end of 2025 the Town held $17,295,055 in cash, up from $8,569,397. The statements say all of its guaranteed investment certificates (GICs, bank deposits locked in for a term) matured during 2025 and were not reinvested. The line for GICs shows nothing for 2025 and $9,947,698 for 2024. After year end the Town says it took on $3.3 million of new financing. The 2026 budget counts on investment income of $500K.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
476,033estimated cost of the Tay Basin parking lot in the 2026 capital list
The 2026 capital list includes the Tay Basin parking lot at an estimated cost of 476,033. The note beside it says: "Basin area, critical for tourism and general parking capacity- price appears high for general asphalt replacement". The total capital budget is $ 3,773,146. The Town's December 10, 2025 release names "Tay Basin parking lot upgrades" among the major projects.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$35 vs $182.65the yearly water and sewer impact, in the budget and in the release
The adopted budget says the 6% water and sewer increase would add "$35" a year for an average household. The Town's December 10, 2025 release, for a home assessed at $350,000, gives the tax increase as $244.28, the capital levy as $34.90, and the water and sewer increase as $182.65 "based on average 2025 billing", and puts the combined monthly cost at "approximately $28.75". Adding the three annual amounts and dividing by 12 gives $38.49 a month (worked out by us).
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$375,000.00of $622,800.00 in 2026 one-time operating projects
The 2026 budget lists one-time operating projects totalling $622,800.00. The largest, $375,000.00, is labelled "Endeavour Solutions (approved by council go live financial system 2026". A financial system is the software the Town uses for its accounts, payroll and billing. The budget gives the Town's own note that Council approved it, but this page does not show the full price or yearly fees.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source
7% and 6%2026 increases in property tax and in water and sewer rates, plus a 1% capital levy
A reserve is money set aside for later, such as replacing a road. The 2026 budget asks Council for a 7% tax increase, a 6% water and sewer increase and a new 1% capital levy of $98,837. The budget itself says reserves are expected to keep declining through 2034 and that continuing rate increases will be needed to keep reserves positive. It projects the water and sewer reserve falling to $3.5 million by December 2026.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$359per home on garbage, dump and recycling, 2024
Perth spent about $359 per home on garbage, dump and recycling in 2024. The typical similar town spent $210. Only 10 of 78 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
2024 tax year · Perth, Ontario
Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what Perth'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 Perth.
a year in property tax, at 2024 rates
Perth council sets only its own share. County or region sets its share, the Province sets the school rate.
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Perth'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.
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Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.
We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.
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 Perth's council · Council Books is free and paid for by readers: support this work.