Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Older reportDetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 An older report. We have no 2024 report for St Marys in the Province's latest release, so these pages use its 2023 report. It may simply be filed late. Read by hand. We read St Marys'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 St Marys' budget, taxes and council decisions. A town in Perth County, in southwestern Ontario, with a mayor and six councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
$2,034,459budgeted debt payments for 2026, up from $1,536,826 in 2025
The levy is the part of the Town's budget that property taxes pay for. Council adopted the 2026 budget on November 20, 2025. It raises $817,551 more through property taxes, a 5.20% rise. After growth from new properties, the Town says this works out to 3.88% for a typical home. The budget's own summary table shows that the cost line that grew fastest was "Debenture Payment" (payments on borrowed money), from $1,536,826 in 2025 to $2,034,459 in 2026, up 32.38%. The year before it rose from $1,260,209 to $1,536,826. The Town explains the 2026 rise as new debt and names one item: the purchase of 90 Carling Street, which adds $144,665 to the levy.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$1.2Mbank loan for the Carling land purchase, with a 2-year term
The Town bought a property at 90 Carling Street. The 2026 budget says the debt payments on it add $144,665 to the tax levy, and that the property was bought "for future development". The debt schedule shows a $1.2 million bank loan with a 2-year term and a 10-year amortization (the length of time the payments are spread over) at 3.76%, under by-law 45-2025. A short loan term means the loan has to be renewed or repaid after two years, at whatever rate is offered then. The budget does not say what the development will be.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$6,924,832.69estimated opening balance of the Development Charges fund in 2026
Development charges are fees the Town collects from builders to pay for growth, such as bigger sewers. The debt schedule lists a "WWTP - DC Debt": a $5 million bank loan (2-year term, 20-year amortization, 3.76%, by-law 106-2024) for the wastewater treatment plant. The reserves schedule shows the Development Charges fund with an estimated opening balance of $6,924,832.69 in 2026, and a planned $396,000 going to "Debt payments". At the end of 2023 the audited statements showed $2,677,792 in development charges. The Town's budget does not explain why it borrowed instead of using the fund.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$26,074,916.84estimated reserves and reserve funds at the start of 2026, against $17,642,687.48 planned for the end of 2025
Reserves are savings that Council sets aside for later costs. The 2026 budget shows total reserves and reserve funds of $26,074,916.84 at the start of 2026, falling to $22,248,571.84 at the end (a drop of about $3.8 million, worked out by us). The 2025 budget had planned $17,642,687.48 for the end of 2025, so the 2026 starting balance is about $8.4 million higher than that plan (worked out by us). Two reserves are planned to end 2026 below zero: Wastewater at (67,960.00) and the Building Department at (84,954.25). The 2023 statements show the Fire Capital Reserve Fund at (103,574) at the end of 2023. The Town's explanation is its asset management plan, which it says closes a funding gap by 2063, and that the 2026 budget draws on reserves for planned capital work.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
2023the latest year of audited statements we found on the Town's website
Audited financial statements are the yearly accounts checked by an outside accountant. The Town's Financial Reports page, read on October 5, 2026, links one set only: the 2023 statements. Management signed them, and the auditor's report is dated October 22, 2024. We did not find statements for 2024 or 2025 on the Town's website. The Town may publish them elsewhere, such as in a council agenda.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$5,312,649surplus in 2023, against a budget figure of $2,333,296
A surplus is what is left when a year's revenue is more than its spending. The 2023 audited statements show a surplus of $5,312,649 against a budget figure of $2,333,296. Revenue came in at $30,857,504 against a budgeted $27,452,360, with more from the federal and Ontario governments, user fees and investment income than planned. The Town's own note says the budget Council approved was balanced, and was restated to match the statements' accounting. Since then the Town has raised its budget for investment income, from $357,000 in 2024 to $697,000 in 2025.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
3of the Mayor's four 2025 decisions concerned the 2026 budget
Since May 1, 2025, Ontario law has given mayors in some towns extra powers over the budget, including the power to propose it and to veto changes. The Town's Mayoral Decisions page lists four decisions for 2025. Two, on October 14 and October 21, 2025, are for "pre-budget approval". Another, on November 18, 2025, is "To shorten the veto period for the 2026 budget". The 2026 budget was adopted on November 20, 2025. The Town's capital budget summary has a column headed "Pre - Budget Approval" with some projects marked "Yes". We did not find which projects the two pre-budget decisions covered.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
$209,675difference in 2025 wages between the two budget books, worked out by us
The 2026 book shows the 2025 budget for "Wages & Benefits" as $10,594,632. The 2025 book shows $10,804,307. The two books show the same total for 2025 expenses, $30,073,530, so about $209,675 (worked out by us) appears to have been moved from wages to "Program Expenses", which is $564,392 in the 2026 book and $354,717 in the 2025 book. Measured against the 2026 book's base, wages grow by 5.42%. Measured against the 2025 book, they grow by about 3.4% (worked out by us). The 2026 book does not say it moved these figures.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
2023 tax year · St Marys, 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 St Marys'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 St Marys.
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits St Marys's share by what each service cost in 2023 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.
How St Marys' share of the bill compares with similar towns
Can we count your visit? With your OK, we use Google Analytics to see which pages help people. It sets cookies and sends visit data to Google. Nothing loads unless you say yes. Privacy