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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Prescott'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 / PrescottUpdated Oct 7, 2026

Your town, in plain words

How Prescott uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Prescott's budget, taxes and council decisions. A town of about 4,000 people on the St. Lawrence River in eastern Ontario, with a mayor and six councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Your typical 2024 property tax bill$2,032on a $120K home91% Town9% SchoolsSee your tax bill explained →
Town spending, 2024$12.9MAbout $5,733 per household, up 10.9% from 2023.See the money →
Property tax change+6.1%Prescott's own property tax came to $6.9M in 2024, against $6.5M in 2023.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Water, sewers and garbage$2.9M · 23%
Roads and snow$2.3M · 18%
Parks, arena and library$2.3M · 18%
Police, fire and safety$2.2M · 17%
Show all 9 servicesShow fewer
Running the town office$1.2M · 9%
Planning and business$844K · 7%
Social services$519K · 4%
Health$465K · 4%
Housing$171K · 1%

Day-to-day spending in 2024, from Prescott's report to the Province.

A fair comparisonHow does Prescott compare?Among 24 similar Ontario towns, Prescott's day-to-day spending per household is near the middle.Prescott is here · 13 of 24, lowest to highestCompare Prescott →

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 10 questions
Worth askingMoney health

How will Prescott pay off a $10.8 million temporary construction loan, and who will pay for the new arena?

$10,820,510borrowed on a temporary construction loan at December 31, 2024, unchanged from a year earlier

A construction loan is short-term borrowing that covers building costs until grants, gifts or long-term debt arrive. At December 31, 2024 the Town had used $10,820,510 of a $15,000,000 facility to build a recreation complex, the same amount as a year earlier. The statements say how it will be repaid has not been set. They also list $6,730,244 for the new arena as "unfinanced", meaning spent but not yet paid for by a grant, gift or long-term loan. All unfinanced projects together came to $12,664,868, up from $9,573,500.

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

Worth askingOpenness

Why were the 2023 and 2024 audited statements brought to Council so late, and why are recent budgets and statements not on the Town's website?

December 15, 2025date the 2024 audited statements went to Council

The audited statements are the Town's official yearly accounts. The 2023 statements were put to Council on May 20, 2025 and the 2024 statements on December 15, 2025. The Town's slide says the 2024 statements were due to the Ministry by December 31, 2025 under an extension given to all municipalities, and that about one third of municipalities were working toward that date. As of October 7, 2026 the Town's budget page lists statements only for 2020, 2021 and 2022, and budget material only to 2024. We did not find the 2025 or 2026 budget there. We also found no council agendas for 2026 on the agendas page.

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

Worth askingMoney health

Why was one of the Town's savings accounts below zero at the end of 2024?

$(247,690)balance of the fiscal policy reserve at December 31, 2024

A reserve is money set aside for a purpose. Note 11 shows the "Fiscal policy" reserve at (247,690), a negative balance, compared with 202,010 a year earlier. The "Planning and development" reserve fell from 211,610 to 13,114. The Town explains the second: community improvement grants of $245k were paid from a reserve for them. We found no Town explanation for the first. Total reserves were $6,412,922, of which $5,071,745 (about 79 percent, worked out by us) is the water and sewer reserve.

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

Worth askingMoney health

Why did Prescott's cash fall to $1.2 million, and why were more property taxes unpaid?

$1,184,346cash and short-term deposits at December 31, 2024, down from $3,163,849

At the end of 2024 cash and short-term deposits were $1,184,346, down from $3,163,849. Taxes owing to the Town rose to $864,466. In October 2025 staff wrote that unpaid taxes were higher than in prior years, pushing interest on them $20,000 over budget, and that a $2.0 million grant received in November and a fire truck loan on December 15, 2025 would ease "the pressure that has been on the cash balance for most of this year".

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

Show 6 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingRising costs

Why did the cost of parks, arena and library grow 62% in 5 years?

+62%parks, arena and library, 2019 to 2024

Prescott spent $1.4M on parks, arena and library in 2019 and $2.3M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 3 of 23 similar towns had faster growth here.

Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources

Worth askingMoney health

Why are so many property taxes unpaid?

$864Kowed in unpaid property tax, end of 2024

At the end of 2024, $864K of property tax had been billed but not paid. That is 11% of everything billed. Only 4 of 23 similar towns had a higher share. A year earlier it was $778K.

Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources

Worth askingMoney health

What is the $10.8M short-term loan for, and when will it be paid off?

$10.8Min temporary loans, end of 2024

At the end of 2024, Prescott owed $10.8M on temporary loans. That is like putting 61% of a year's income on a line of credit. This is short-term borrowing for building projects, which is normal while waiting for a grant or a long-term loan. But it was already $10.8M a year earlier, so it has lasted more than a year. Only 2 of 23 similar towns had any temporary loans at the end of 2024.

Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source

Good to knowSpending level

Why was the lowest bid to take down the old water tower $622,900 when the other two were over $4 million?

$622,900lowest of three bids, against $4,469,444 and $4,997,600

The Town asked for bids to demolish its old elevated water tank. Three companies bid: $622,900, $4,469,444 and $4,997,600. The Town and its engineer say the lowest bid was complete and give four reasons it could be much lower: a different method that needs less labour, water misting instead of scaffolding and tarps, more experience with tall concrete structures, and a Cornwall base. The bid was still $122,900 above the $500,000 set aside in the 2025 budget.

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

Good to knowHow decisions are made

What did the Integrity Commissioner recommend after a 2024 Code of Conduct investigation of a council member?

15 dayspay suspension the Integrity Commissioner recommended in May 2024

The Integrity Commissioner is an outside lawyer who applies the Town's Code of Conduct. In a public report dated May 29, 2024, the Commissioner investigated complaints against Councillor Lee McConnell and found that he breached sections 3.0 and 8.0 of the Code. The Commissioner called the section 3.0 breaches minor and the section 8.0 breaches more serious, and recommended that his pay be suspended for 15 days and that he be removed from the Heritage Committee. We did not find in the documents we read what Council decided. The Commissioner's 2025 annual report says no complaints were submitted in 2025.

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

Good to knowOpenness

Where can residents find the yearly statement of council pay and expenses?

March 31yearly deadline in the Municipal Act for the pay and expenses statement

The Municipal Act says the treasurer must give Council, by March 31 each year, a list of what each member was paid the year before. The Town's pay page quotes that law and links the pay by-law, but not a yearly statement. We found the 2024 statement only inside the March 17, 2025 council agenda. We found no 2025 statement in the documents posted. We have not copied any pay figures into this pack.

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

2024 tax year · Prescott, 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 Prescott'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 Prescott.

Source

a year in property tax, at 2024 rates

  • Prescott
  • Schools

Prescott council sets only its own share. the Province sets the school rate.

See what your Prescott share pays forHide the breakdown

Roughly what your Prescott share pays for

Source
  • Police, fire and safety
  • Roads and snow
  • Parks, arena and library
  • Running the town office
  • Planning and business
  • Health
  • Social services
  • Housing

An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Prescott'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.

  • 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.

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