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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Quinte West'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 Quinte West's budget, taxes and council decisions. A city of about 47,000 people in Eastern Ontario. Every figure links back to the public record.
$159.6 milliondebt taken out or committed at December 31, 2025, against $8.7 million in the development charge account
Cities borrow to build things that last for decades, like water mains, sewers and bridges, and pay the loans back over many years. When a project is needed because of new homes and businesses, the law lets a city charge builders “development charges” and use that money to pay the loan. At the end of 2025 Quinte West had $105.5 million of debt taken out. Adding loans council has already approved but not yet taken, and borrowing it has committed to, the City’s own staff report puts the total at $159.6 million. The City’s second report says the development charge account holds $8.7 million, but $26.6 million of loans are paid from it (up from $18.4 million a year earlier) and another $9.1 million is still to be finalized, so the account is $27.0 million short once that debt is counted. Staff explain that the loans are paid from monthly withdrawals from the account for the life of each loan, and that the City is below the provincial borrowing limit.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 6 sources
0 of 14declarations about open-meeting items since May 2024 that say in the minutes what the interest is, by our count
When a council member has a money interest in a decision, the law says they must say so, say in general terms what the interest is, leave the room and not vote. For meetings open to the public, the clerk must write both the declaration and the general nature of it in the minutes. From December 2022 to March 2024 Quinte West’s minutes did that in the four cases we found (for example, that a member works for a group asking for money, or that an applicant is a business client). From May 15, 2024 to July 15, 2026 the minutes record, by our count, 21 declarations at 17 meetings: 11 by Councillor Shelley Stedall, 4 by Councillor David McCue, 4 by Councillor Egerton Boyce, and one each by Councillor Michael Kotsovos and Mayor Jim Harrison. Seven were about closed-session items, where the law keeps the nature out of the minutes. The other 14 were about open-meeting items, and none of those minutes says what the interest is. The City’s web page says the registry of declarations is kept at City Hall; we did not find it online.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 11 sources
$1,341,822recorded at the end of 2025 for lawsuits, up from $600,192 a year earlier
The audited statements say Quinte West has been named in lawsuits whose outcomes cannot yet be known. At year-end, management estimates what it may lose and records that amount. The amount recorded was $1,341,822 for 2025 and $600,192 for 2024. Any loss beyond what insurance pays is charged to operations in the year the claim is settled. The statements do not say how many claims there are, what they are about, or how much insurance will cover. A separate note says management believes other claims “will not have a material adverse effect” on the City’s finances.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources
67 of 77regular council meetings, November 2022 to July 2026, with a closed session, by our count
Ontario lets councils meet in private for a short list of reasons, such as buying or selling land, staff matters, lawsuits or plans for negotiating. From November 14, 2022 to July 15, 2026, 67 of the 77 regular council meetings we could read had a closed session. Quinte West’s agendas and minutes are fairly detailed about it: each lists every closed item with its staff report number, the department and the legal reason. Across the 83 meetings we read, the reasons cited most (by our count) were land (at 55 meetings), personal matters about a person (36), plans for negotiations (25), labour relations (19) and protecting City property (17). What residents cannot see is what was decided: the open minutes do not record any outcome, and the closed minutes, approved at the next open meeting, are not published.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources
15 daysof the Mayor’s pay the Integrity Commissioner recommended suspending, with a public apology
A council’s Integrity Commissioner is an outside lawyer who investigates complaints that a member broke the Code of Conduct. In a report dated December 6, 2023, the City’s Integrity Commissioner found that Mayor Jim Harrison broke two rules of the Code of Conduct on February 8, 2023: the rule to treat people respectfully without abuse (6.1), and the rule against insulting or abusive words (6.2), in how he spoke to a member of the public outside City Hall. The report says the Mayor did not deny it, phoned afterwards to apologize, and accepted that his conduct broke the rules. The Commissioner recommended a public apology and a 15-day suspension of the Mayor’s pay. At the council meeting on January 10, 2024 the Mayor said he would accept both. Council did not vote on the penalty, on the Commissioner’s advice. A councillor asked staff for the final cost of the investigation. We did not find the cost, the apology or the pay suspension in the minutes after that.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 4 sources
$746,6002026 budget for health care and doctor recruitment, up from $524,000 in the 2025 budget
Health care is a provincial job, but many places pay to attract family doctors. Quinte West says its doctor-recruitment savings account (the Medical Grant reserve) ran out in 2025, so the cost moved onto property taxes: $222,000 more in the 2026 budget, bringing health care spending to $746,600, almost 1% of the tax levy. In 2025 the doctor recruitment line ran $418,000 over budget because new doctors’ payments came earlier than planned; only $330,000 was left in the reserve to cover it. The City hired a physician recruitment and engagement specialist and sets targets: 6,685 residents without a family doctor in 2025, 5,185 in 2026 and 4,185 in 2027, and 21 active family doctors rising to 25 and then 29.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources
$520,000building permit revenue under budget in 2025
The building department is meant to pay for itself from permit fees, with a savings account (the building stabilization reserve) to smooth bad years. In 2025 the City’s fourth-quarter report says permit revenue came in $520,000 under budget. The department’s spending was at or below budget, the last $106,000 in its reserve was used, and the report lists the $500,000 shortfall as hitting the City’s yearly result because no reserve balance was left. The City says it did a fee review in 2025, and the 2026 budget adds $150,000 to line the department up with a new Building Fees Study.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
Where your tax bill goes
A property tax bill in Quinte West pays for the city and schools. Only part of it goes to the city, and that part is what Quinte West council controls.
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