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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 St Clair'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 / St ClairUpdated Oct 5, 2026

Your town, in plain words

How St Clair uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to St Clair's budget, taxes and council decisions. A township in Lambton County, on the St. Clair River in southwestern Ontario, with a mayor, a deputy mayor and five councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Property tax raised in 2025$43.3Mall property in St Clair47% Town35% County18% SchoolsSee where your tax bill goes →
Town spending, 2025$34.7MAbout $5,559 per household, up 11.4% from 2024.See the money →
Property tax change+2.9%St Clair's own property tax came to $20.3M in 2025, against $19.7M in 2024.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Water, sewers and garbage$7.7M · 22%
Parks, arena and library$7.7M · 22%
Roads and snow$7.3M · 21%
Police, fire and safety$6.0M · 17%
Show all 8 servicesShow fewer
Running the town office$3.0M · 9%
Planning and business$2.6M · 8%
Health$329K · 1%
Social services$22,611 · 0%

Day-to-day spending in 2025, from St Clair's report to the Province.

A fair comparisonHow does St Clair compare?Among 45 similar Ontario towns, St Clair's day-to-day spending per household is on the high side.St Clair is here · 44 of 45, lowest to highestCompare St Clair →

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 9 questions
Worth askingMoney health

Why is the fire vehicle savings account overdrawn, and why does the budget show it getting deeper every year to 2028?

$8,194,479projected deficit in the Fire Vehicle reserve at the end of 2028, up from $491,702 at the end of 2024

A reserve is money a township sets aside for a future cost, like a savings account. The Township's own table shows the Fire Vehicle reserve was a deficit of $491,702 at the end of 2024, a deficit of $3,741,890 at the end of 2025, and then a deficit of $5,080,713, $6,631,118 and $8,194,479 at the end of 2026, 2027 and 2028. In other words, it has spent more on fire vehicles than it has set aside. The Mayor's message explains this: the Township charges interest to the fire vehicle reserve, credits other reserves, and could borrow short term if needed. What the budget does not say is when the deficit stops growing.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources

Worth askingMoney health

Why do two Township documents show such different totals for its reserves at the end of 2025?

$8,077,781reserves projected for the end of 2026, down from $25,678,039 at the end of 2024

The 2026 budget's reserve table (prepared in January 2026, on a cash basis, with 2025 figures marked estimated) starts at $25,678,039 at the end of 2024, shows $13,848,555 at the end of 2025 and projects $8,077,781 at the end of 2026. By our arithmetic (worked out by us) that is a drop of about 46 per cent in 2025 and about 69 per cent by the end of 2026. The audited statements show something different: "Total Reserves" of $24,730,165 at the end of 2025, down from $30,247,951 at the end of 2024 (a drop of about 18 per cent, worked out by us). These are different measures, but the Township does not publish a bridge between them.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources

Worth askingMoney health

How will the Township pay for the $20 million Courtright wastewater plant expansion when its sewer reserve is already in deficit?

$20,072,640total cost listed for the Courtright Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion, 2025 to 2027

The 2026 capital list includes the Courtright Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion as a multi-year project (2025 to 2027) at $20,072,640. The list's funding note reads "Ext/ Grt 14,261, Deben 5,812". We read these as thousands of dollars of outside grants and borrowing (a debenture is a loan repaid over years), which together come to about $20.07 million (worked out by us). Meanwhile the sewer reserve is overdrawn: a deficit of (922,253) at the end of 2025 in the audited statements, against (177,830) a year earlier. The Township's budget table projects a deficit of (3,292,325) in the "Waste water" reserve at the end of 2026.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources

Worth askingSpending level

What was cut or put off to bring the 2026 tax increase down from 7.32% to 2.58%, and why is tax-funded capital spending up 39% anyway?

$2,187,609tax-funded capital in the 2026 budget, up from $1,573,241 in 2025

The Mayor's message says the 2026 budget started with a levy change of 7.32% and, after review, ended at 2.58% for an average single-family home, or $76.74 a year. That is a clear explanation of the headline number. It does not say which items were removed. One line is visible in the exhibits: the part of capital spending paid by property tax (after grants and the Environment and Education Fund) rises to $2,187,609 from $1,573,241, which is the same figure the Township printed for both 2024 and 2025. The Township prints this as an increase of 39.05%.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources

Show 5 more questionsShow fewer
Good to knowMoney health

Why did the Township go from net financial assets to net debt in 2025, and how far will the 2026 capital plan take it?

$1,482,580net debt at the end of 2025, after net financial assets of $1,729,915 a year earlier

Net financial assets is what a township owns in money and receivables, minus what it owes. If the number is negative, it is called net debt. At the end of 2024 the Township had net financial assets of $1,729,915. At the end of 2025 it had net debt of $1,482,580. The 2025 budget had planned for net debt of $4,228,491, so the result was better than planned. Cash fell from $18,288,773 to $10,299,005, and the Township spent $19,746,372 on capital assets (roads, water, sewer, buildings) against $13,355,908 the year before. The 2026 capital plan is larger again, at $39,074,799.

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

Good to knowMoney health

Why did user charges and government grants come in about $6.7 million above budget in 2025?

$20,984,101user charges in 2025, against a budget of $16,892,335

User charges are what people pay for services such as water, sewer, garbage and the golf course. The 2025 budget expected $16,892,335. The audited actual is $20,984,101, which is $4,091,766 higher (worked out by us, about 24%). Government transfers (grants) were budgeted at $5,627,523 and came in at $8,072,487, which is $2,444,964 higher (worked out by us). The annual surplus was $9,150,306 against a budgeted $7,094,865. The segment schedule shows where some of it landed: transportation grants of $6,354,163 (2024: $3,820,905) and water charges of $7,797,846 (2024: $6,570,310). The statements do not say why these were more than budget.

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

Good to knowRising costs

Why did wages and benefits rise by about $1 million in 2025, and why did the pension plan count 33 more members?

$12,825,100wages and employee benefits in 2025, against $11,830,833 in 2024

Wages and employee benefits were $12,825,100 in 2025 and $11,830,833 in 2024, an increase of $994,267 or about 8.4% (worked out by us). The Township's note on the OMERS pension plan says it contributes on behalf of 160 staff in 2025, against 127 in 2024, and its contribution rose from $662,258 to $724,553. The statements do not say whether these are new positions, part-time staff newly enrolled, or something else.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources

Good to knowMoney health

St Clair went from having money in the bank to owing more than it has. What changed?

−$1.5Mnet financial position, 2025

In 2019, St Clair had $1.8M more in cash and money owed to it than it owed to others. By 2025 it was −$1.5M. About 17% of that change ($567K) is a new accounting rule from 2023: towns must now record the future cost of closing things like a landfill. That is not new spending or borrowing. Even leaving that out, only 7 of 44 similar towns are in a weaker position.

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

Where your tax bill goes

A property tax bill in St Clair pays for three governments. Only part of it goes to the town, and that part is what St Clair council controls.

Tax bill split: St Clair 47%, County or region 35%, Schools 18%
$43.3Mraised in 2025
  • St Clair47%
  • County or region35%
  • Schools18%

  • 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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