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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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

Council

Who decides, and how you can hold them to account

Stone Mills is run by an elected council of 7 people. They set the budget, approve big purchases and hire the senior staff who run the town day to day.

Current council

Names and official email addresses from the town's council page. None of the members lists a public social media account there.

What council is paid

Every year the town has to publish what each council member was paid, and what was spent on their benefits and expenses. These are the totals from those statements, 2023 to 2025.

In 2025, the whole council cost $153,019 in pay, benefits and expenses, about $41 per home.
Pay, and benefits and expenses, for each council member by year
Member202520242023
John Wise
Mayor (then called Reeve)		$29,682+ $100$28,850+ $316$28,010+ $700
Doug Davison
Deputy Mayor (then Deputy Reeve)		$21,417+ $4,087$20,816+ $4,656$20,210+ $4,628
Wenda Lalande
Councillor		$17,286+ $641$16,802+ $2,796$16,312+ $1,814
Shari Milligan
Councillor		$17,286+ $3,959$17,202+ $3,702$16,312+ $4,294
Rob Fenwick
Councillor		$17,286+ $3,265$16,802+ $5,013$16,312+ $3,765
Krysta-Lee Woodcock
Councillor		$17,286+ $2,859$17,162+ $3,154$16,312+ $2,017
Wendy McDonald
Councillor		$17,286+ $578$16,802+ $3,324$16,312+ $4,471

Top number: pay. Second number: benefits and expenses together, such as health cover, mileage, conferences and training. Exactly what goes in it differs a little from town to town; the note below says what this town’s statement includes. Some members take the town’s health plan and some do not, so a higher second number is not a problem by itself. The statements give only totals; the receipts behind them can be requested from the clerk.

Each year links to the town's statement. Typed by hand from the treasurer’s yearly Statement of Remuneration and Expenses (Municipal Act s. 284), which goes to council as a staff report: the 2023 statement on June 3, 2024, the 2024 statement on March 17, 2025 and the 2025 statement on February 9, 2026. “Pay” is the Remuneration column. “Other” adds the per diems (a daily amount for attending meetings), car allowance and mileage, and training and conferences. John Wise was called Reeve until 2026; the table uses “Mayor”. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor also sit on the Lennox & Addington County council; we did not look for any pay from the County. In 2024 two councillors’ pay was a few hundred dollars above the others’; the statement does not say why. We did not find the 2022 statement. The 2023 statement shows “By-law 2024-XXXX” in place of a by-law number. The 2025 statement’s main table is partly an image.

How open is Stone Mills?

What a resident can find online without asking, as of October 1, 2026.

  • Yes
    Agendas and minutes online

    The meeting portal (CivicWeb) has agendas, full agenda packages and minutes. Of the 97 meetings listed from November 21, 2022 to September 28, 2026, we found minutes for 88. Of the other 9, three were cancelled, one was a special public meeting, two were closed-session meetings in July 2023, and three were the August 10, September 14 and September 28, 2026 council meetings, whose minutes were not posted yet when we looked on October 1, 2026. Source

  • Yes
    Meeting videos

    Council meetings are streamed live on YouTube. The channel’s feed lists its 15 newest uploads, back to March 9, 2026; each council meeting recording appeared the day after the meeting. The town says recordings stay online under its record-retention by-law. We did not check older ones. Source

  • Yes
    Budgets posted online

    Final budgets and presentation slides for 2023 to 2026 are posted, with the by-law that adopted each and a tax-bill insert. The 2026 budget was adopted March 9, 2026. Quarterly “Statement of Operations” reports (budget against actual) go to council each quarter and are in the agenda packages. Source

  • Yes
    Audited financial statements

    Statements for 2020 to 2024 are posted. The 2024 audit report (KPMG) is dated September 16, 2025 with a clean opinion (“present fairly”). The draft 2025 statements were on council’s September 28, 2026 agenda; they were not yet on the Budget and Finances page when we looked. Source

  • Partly
    Council pay and expenses (Municipal Act s. 284)

    The treasurer’s yearly statement goes to council as a staff report. We found the 2023, 2024 and 2025 statements in the agenda packages. We did not find them as a separate page on the town’s website, or the 2022 statement. Source

  • Partly
    Conflict-of-interest declarations

    Declarations are recorded in each meeting’s minutes (item 3). We found no registry of declarations on the town’s website or meeting portal. The law allows the registry to be kept on paper. Source

  • Partly
    Closed meetings

    Minutes since 2024 name the legal reason and have a “Rise and Report” item every time. The reports are often one line, such as that direction was given to staff. Source

  • Partly
    Tender and contract results

    The Procurement page lists current opportunities (one when we looked: the 2026-04 roads needs study). Winners of larger contracts appear in staff reports to council, such as the planning services and Integrity Commissioner requests for proposals. We found no list of all contracts. Source

  • Yes
    Election finances

    The 2022 candidates’ financial statements (Form 4) are posted, with the clerk’s compliance report. Two unsuccessful council candidates are listed as not complying. For 2026 the town posts the certified list of candidates and the acclamations of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Source

  • Yes
    Freedom-of-information requests

    The town explains how to file a request: a form, a $5.00 application fee, and an answer within 30 days. Since the 2026 amendment, Ontario’s law (section 19) gives 45 business days, so the town’s page may be out of date. Source

Where the town speaks for itself

Stone Mills' official channels, as linked from its own website. Council members may also post on their own pages; we link only to official municipal channels.

Ask for the records

Anyone can ask the town for its records under Ontario's Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). You do not have to say why. Here is how it works, and the wording for the records that would answer the questions on this site.

  1. Send the request in writing to the town clerk (the freedom of information coordinator), on the town’s form or in a letter, with the $5 application fee.
  2. Describe the records, not the answer you want. Dates, departments and the kind of record (a list, invoices, emails) make a request quicker and cheaper.
  3. The town has 45 business days to answer (the law changed in 2026; older guides say 30 days). It can charge for search time and copies, but must send an estimate first if the fees will be over $25.
  4. Some parts can be held back, such as legal advice or personal information about other people. The town must say which part of the law it relied on.
  5. If you are refused, or the fees seem too high, you can appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner within 30 business days of the town’s decision.

The town's request form (on its Forms page) · The law · Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

  • Every payment the town made

    The yearly reports give totals by service, not who was paid. A list of payments shows repeat suppliers, purchases split into smaller pieces, and payments to businesses linked to council or staff.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: A list of all payments made by the Corporation of the Township of Stone Mills from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025, showing for each payment the date, the name of the payee, the amount, and the description or account it was charged to (for example, the cheque register, EFT register or accounts payable listing). An electronic copy, such as a spreadsheet, is preferred.

  • The Newburgh Medical Centre siding

    Staff explained the extra cost in a report. The records would show who agreed the price, what was asked of other contractors, and how the wrong siding came to be ordered. Related question: Why did installing siding on the Newburgh Medical Centre cost nearly twice the $30,000 council approved, with no quotes from other contractors?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Records about the siding ordered for the Enterprise Hall exterior renovation and installed on the Newburgh Medical Centre in 2025: the purchase order, quotes, invoices and change orders (including the $29,813.36 siding invoice and the $57,781.80 installation invoice); any quotes asked of other contractors; and the emails or notes between facilities staff and the contractor about the wrong siding and the installation price.

  • How the landfill closing cost is worked out and paid for

    The 2025 draft statements cut the estimate by $2,841,572. The records would show what changed and whether there is a plan to pay for it. Related question: How will Stone Mills pay to close and look after its three landfills, and why did the estimate drop by $2.8 million in 2025?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Records used to calculate the landfill asset retirement obligation in the 2024 and 2025 financial statements: any engineer’s or consultant’s report on the closing and post-closure costs for the Camden East, Moscow and Sheffield sites, the working papers showing the discount rate, inflation rate and remaining life used, and any written plan to fund the landfill reserve fund.

  • The registry of declarations of interest

    Ontario law requires a registry of declarations and written statements. These records would show what the town holds. Related question: Why did a councillor who stepped out of the 2025 siding decision second the motion on its extra cost in 2026?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: The registry of declarations of interest maintained under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act for the Township of Stone Mills, including every written statement filed by a member of council or a committee from November 15, 2022 to the date of this request. For the declarations made on June 16, 2025 (item 8.5, Newburgh Medical Centre siding) and the vote on February 9, 2026 (item 8.8), the written statement and any advice the Integrity Commissioner or the Clerk gave about whether the interest applied.

  • Rattie Road permit and cost records

    Staff say the plan changed after the conservation authority and the Ministry of the Environment asked questions. The records would show the cost so far. Related question: Why is Rattie Road still not repaired, more than a year after council first voted on it?.

    Show the request wordingHide the wording
    I request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: Records about Rattie Road from March 1, 2025 to the date of this request: the permit application to Quinte Conservation and its replies; correspondence with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks about the project; the survey and legal description work for the proposed closing; and invoices paid for staff-hired contractors, surveys or engineering on Rattie Road.

The wording is a starting point, not legal advice. Narrow the dates if the town says a request is too broad or too costly.

How to raise a concern

From the gentlest step to the most serious. Start at the top.

  1. Integrity Commissioner

    An outside firm (ADR Chambers) appointed from January 1, 2026 after a request for proposals. Anyone can file a signed written complaint about a council member’s conduct. The town’s page lists no past reports.

  2. Closed meeting investigator

    The Ombudsman of Ontario. In a December 22, 2020 letter about meetings held between August 10 and October 27, 2020, the Ombudsman’s review did not find anyone prevented from attending a council meeting.

  3. Code of Conduct for Council

    The rules the Integrity Commissioner applies.

  4. Strong Mayor Powers, Duties and Decisions

    Since May 1, 2025 the head of council has special Ontario powers (for example to propose the budget and to veto some by-laws). The town’s page lists no mayoral decisions for 2025 or 2026.