Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to South Frontenac's budget, taxes and council decisions. A township in the County of Frontenac, Ontario, formed in 1998 from four former townships, with a mayor and eight district councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
Follow South Frontenac 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.
+98%parks, arena and library, 2019 to 2024
South Frontenac spent $1.0M on parks, arena and library in 2019 and $2.0M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 3 of 56 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
+92%roads and snow, 2019 to 2024
South Frontenac spent $4.2M on roads and snow in 2019 and $8.1M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 1 of 56 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
$15,576,162Verona Housing Project in the 2026 capital budget, noted as "Grant and Financing"
The 2026 budget adds up to $56,380,789, and one project makes up more than a quarter of it. The capital list (the list of big building and road projects) shows the Verona Housing Project at $15,576,162 for 2026, funded by "Grant and Financing". The Township's only loan in its 2024 audited statements was a $126,782 water debenture that residents repay. At the end of 2024 it had cash of $6,286,131 and long-term investments of $17,186,196, part of which is held for restricted funds. The Township has said it expects a $3.2 million provincial grant for the water system that would serve the project, and that the project would have about 100 homes. We did not find, in the documents we could read, how the rest is to be paid for. Worked out by us, $3.2 million is about a fifth of $15,576,162.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$11,286,113capital spending in 2024, against a budget of $17,766,740
Capital spending means paying for roads, bridges, buildings and equipment. In 2023 the budget planned $10,720,250 and the Township spent $21,696,594. In 2024 it planned $17,766,740 and spent $11,286,113. Worked out by us, that is $6,480,627 less than planned in 2024. The yearly surplus also differs from the plan: the 2023 budget planned a deficit of $1,202,682 and the result was a surplus of $5,145,097, while the 2024 budget planned a surplus of $2,297,474 and the result was $1,134,725. The statements explain that the budget and the audited results are prepared on different bases. The 2026 budget carries $7,148,837 of projects approved in earlier years.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
(261,390)Asset Investment Reserve, forecast balance at the end of 2025 (brackets mean overdrawn)
Reserves are savings accounts that Council sets aside for later costs. The reserves forecast in the 2026 budget shows these balances at the end of 2025: Asset Investment Reserve (261,390), Fiscal Working Funds (207,229), Capital Fire Department (19,956) and Capital Roads Department (265,300), as well as the legally restricted Development Charges (707,614) and 5% Parkland (102,781). A balance in brackets means the account is overdrawn, which in practice means it is being covered by other money. The same budget lists "Capital Tax Requisition" as a saving of $1,410,942, and adds $511,101 to the Asset Investment Reserve, set at 2% of the levy. In the audited statements, the working capital reserve fell from $3,959,358 at the end of 2023 to $837,108 at the end of 2024.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$335,336increase in the OPP bill in the 2026 budget
The Township pays the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) for policing. The 2026 budget shows "Police Operations" rising from $2,962,297 to $3,297,633, and the Township lists "OPP Billing" at $335,336 among its cost increases. To soften the jump it takes $200,000 from a policing reserve, up from $50,000, and the reserve is forecast to fall from $743,500 to $543,500. The audited statements say the OPP agreement runs six years from December 2020 at roughly $3.1 million a year. Worked out by us, a six-year term from December 2020 ends around December 2026.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
+47%water, sewers and garbage, 2019 to 2024
South Frontenac spent $2.4M on water, sewers and garbage in 2019 and $3.4M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$9,478,607asset retirement obligations at December 31, 2024 (landfills and asbestos)
Under public sector accounting rules, the Township must record in its books the future cost of closing its landfill sites and removing asbestos from its buildings. At the end of 2024 that obligation was $9,478,607, of which $8,914,902 is for landfills. The statements list "Unfunded asset retirement obligations" of $9,426,982 in the Township's equity, which means no money has been set aside for them. The 2026 budget shows a "Landfill Closure" reserve of $422,858 at the end of 2025. The statements say the Township has five active and five inactive landfill sites, and that the remaining life of active sites runs from 2 years to 42 years.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
October 23, 2025date of the auditor's report on the 2024 statements, the newest posted
Audited financial statements are the yearly report card on a township's money, checked by an outside accountant. The auditor's report on the 2024 statements is dated October 23, 2025, and the one on the 2023 statements is dated December 3, 2024. On October 5, 2026, the Township's financial reports page listed 2024 as the newest audited statements and had none for 2025. The signing dates are well after the end of the year in both cases.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$310per home on garbage, dump and recycling, 2024
South Frontenac spent about $310 per home on garbage, dump and recycling in 2024. The typical similar town spent $36. Only 1 of 56 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
$135per home on snow ploughing, 2024
South Frontenac spent about $135 per home on snow ploughing in 2024. The typical similar town spent $72. Only 8 of 56 similar towns spent more.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 1 source
2024 tax year · South Frontenac, Ontario
Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what South Frontenac'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 South Frontenac.
a year in property tax, at 2024 rates
South Frontenac 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 South Frontenac'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.
Local businesses can sponsor this page · How it works →
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 South Frontenac's council · Council Books is free and paid for by readers: support this work.