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things out.Older reportDetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Stratford in the Province's latest release, so these pages use its 2023 report. It may simply be filed late. Read by hand. We read Stratford'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.
Questions · 10 so far
Things worth asking about
We read Stratford's financial reports and meeting minutes, and compared its numbers with 10 similar Ontario places. These are the things that stood out.
What these are, and what they are not. A question here means a number or practice is unusual, or harder to see than it should be. It does not mean anyone did anything wrong. Most unusual numbers turn out to have ordinary explanations, and every question lists some. The only way to know is to ask.
Worth asking
Worth asking
There may well be a good reason. It is still worth asking what it is.
$30,849,818annual surplus in 2024, against a budget of $19,735,109
A surplus is what is left when a year's revenue is more than its spending. The City's 2024 audited statements show an annual surplus of $30,849,818. The budget in the same statements planned $19,735,109, so the result was $11,114,709 higher (worked out by us). Revenue came in $18,918,649 above the budget figure and spending $7,803,940 above it (both worked out by us). Grants ("conditional grants") were budgeted at $36,303,220 and came in at $46,325,975. The City explains that these statements count the whole cost of capital projects (roads, buildings) in the budget column, and its accumulated-surplus note says the cash-basis operating result was a deficit of $194,691. So most of the surplus is probably money tied to capital projects, not spare operating cash. We could not tell from the statements alone how much was grants received ahead of projects.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 4 sources
June 15, 2026date of the auditor's report on the 2024 statements
Audited financial statements are the City's yearbook of money. The auditor's report on the 2023 statements is dated September 8, 2025. The report on the 2024 statements is dated June 15, 2026. That is roughly 20 and 18 months after each year ended (worked out by us). When we read the City's finance reports page on October 5, 2026, the latest audited statements posted were for 2024; we did not find 2025. The 2024 statements also restated 2023: the 2023 annual surplus was changed from $12,187,378 to $14,965,745. The City has said in its own 2026 budget that it wants these statements to "become timelier", so it knows about the gap. One restatement table prints a 2023 tangible capital assets figure of 365,414,123 that does not match the balance sheet (356,414,123), which looks like a typing slip.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources
$109,111,97410-year capital funding shortfall, after all identified sources
A 10-year capital plan lists what the City expects to spend on things like roads, sewers and buildings, and how it will pay for them. The 2026 Mayor's Budget says the plan totals $529,214,392 and, after counting reserves, grants, development charges, yearly transfers, planned borrowing and growth in tax revenue, leaves a "Revised Shortfall" of $109,111,974, or $10,911,197 a year. The City published this itself and says its infrastructure is "underfunded". It plans to close the gap slowly: the 2026 levy includes $1,182,800 for the plan, a "slower phase in" than the $5,008,000 increase in 2024. The City also shows it could borrow much more: its debt limit is about $191,202,346 against $56,998,062 now drawn or authorized.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 4 sources
$2,446,001projected Tax Stabilization Reserve balance at December 31, 2025 (was $7,931,001)
The Tax Stabilization Reserve is a savings account the City uses to smooth tax increases using past surpluses. The 2026 Mayor's Budget projects its balance at December 31, 2025 as $2,446,001, down from $7,931,001 a year earlier. The 2026 budget takes a further $661,200 from it "for one-time costs". The council chamber audio and broadcasting upgrade ($500,000) lists its funding as "Tax Stabilization Reserve/ to be determined". If both were taken from the reserve, about $1,284,781 would be left (worked out by us). The City says it has used the reserve for "temporary variances, or one-time costs" and that "reducing dependence" on it for permanent cost increases is "strongly recommended". Different pages of the same document show the 2026 draw as $1,550,000, $661,200 and $661,220.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 7 sources
$14,000,000planned long-term debt for servicing the business park expansion, 2026 to 2027
The 2026 capital plan includes $14,000,000 to put water, sewer and road services into a business park expansion next to the Wright Business Park. All of it is shown as long-term debt, with the note "Repayment is intended to be short-term". The City says the cost will be "fully recoverable from the sale of the lots", that short-term borrowing is "likely required", and that any debt repayment "could be considered as a charge against the reserve fund until the lots are sold, resulting in no tax levy impact, but with a pressure on cash flow". The land will "not be City assets in the longer term". The debt summary page, dated September 8, 2025, lists $56,998,062 drawn and authorized and we did not find a line for this $14,000,000 on it. Adding it would give $70,998,062 (worked out by us).
Found by reading the city's own documents · 4 sources
3 itemsnot properly decided in closed session, out of 25 closed sessions reviewed
Councils may meet in private for a short list of reasons, such as legal advice or buying land. They may talk in private about more things than they may vote on. The City's closed meeting investigator, a municipal law firm, reviewed 25 closed sessions between May 31, 2023 and September 9, 2024. The investigator found "very few violations" and says the City has improved its practices. It did find three agenda items at two meetings that were not properly in closed session. All three were decisions the investigator calls "substantive": votes on the next steps for land the City was buying (July 10, 2023), on what to do with the proceeds from a sale, and on a retroactive pay raise for some non-union staff (both October 10, 2023). The report was delivered to Council on April 29, 2025.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
$17,301conference and meeting expenses for the Mayor in 2025 (2024: $8,507)
Each year the treasurer reports what council members were paid. The 2025 statement shows $470,533 paid to and on behalf of the Mayor and ten councillors, up from $441,796 in 2024 (a rise of $28,737, worked out by us). Amounts paid for conferences and meeting expenses went from $35,435 to $44,942. For the Mayor, that line went from $8,507 to $17,301. In the 2026 Mayor's Budget, the Mayor's Office had $6,700 for conference expenses and $3,000 for travel and mileage in its 2025 budget, and had used $3,371 of the conference line by September 30, 2025. The statement counts items the budget lines may not, such as mileage and amounts paid on the Mayor's behalf, so the two are not directly comparable.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
$1,821,135added to the 2026 levy by outside boards and partners
Under Ontario's "strong mayor" rules, which Stratford adopted on May 1, 2025, the Mayor sets the budget direction. The Mayor's direction of July 18, 2025 asked local boards and shared services to limit their increase to "not more than 3.5% net tax levy increase". The 2026 Mayor's Budget shows asks of 5.72% for the Police ($911,179), 5.48% for the Library ($169,518), 9.82% for Paramedic Services ($369,640) and 17.21% for Spruce Lodge ($166,065). Together, outside partners add $1,821,135 to the levy, against $2,453,044 within Council's control (before the $150,000 Lights On reserve item). The City's budget page says the final 2026 increase after three additions approved on November 27, 2025 is 3.19%, or about $172.00 a year on an average home.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
Stratford spent about $449 per home on garbage, dump and recycling in 2023. The typical similar city spent $253. None of the 10 similar places spent more.
Found automatically from the city's financial reports · 1 source
$30,849,818annual surplus in 2024, against a budget of $19,735,109
A surplus is what is left when a year's revenue is more than its spending. The City's 2024 audited statements show an annual surplus of $30,849,818. The budget in the same statements planned $19,735,109, so the result was $11,114,709 higher (worked out by us). Revenue came in $18,918,649 above the budget figure and spending $7,803,940 above it (both worked out by us). Grants ("conditional grants") were budgeted at $36,303,220 and came in at $46,325,975. The City explains that these statements count the whole cost of capital projects (roads, buildings) in the budget column, and its accumulated-surplus note says the cash-basis operating result was a deficit of $194,691. So most of the surplus is probably money tied to capital projects, not spare operating cash. We could not tell from the statements alone how much was grants received ahead of projects.
Why it matters
The budget is the promise made to taxpayers about what the year will cost. When the result is far from the promise, residents need to know whether there is money that could have lowered the tax bill, or whether the money is already committed to projects. The City held $81,184,070 in cash at the end of 2024, up from $47,483,126, and $57,016,230 of it sat in "general reserve bank accounts".
It could be because…
The budget column counts the full cost of capital projects, while the actual column spreads that cost over years. The City's budget note says this. Some of the gap is accounting, not unspent money.
Grants for capital projects (such as federal gas tax, development charges and infrastructure grants) arrive when the money is paid out and are then locked to those projects.
The City says its cash-basis operating result was a small deficit, so the operating budget may have been close to what was planned.
Some of the cash increase may be deferred revenue (money received but not yet spent), which grew from $31,868,850 to $37,415,661.
Questions you could ask
How much of the $30,849,818 surplus was grant and development charge money that can only be spent on named projects?
What was the 2024 operating surplus or deficit on the same basis Council uses when it sets the tax levy, and was any of it moved to the Tax Stabilization Reserve?
Does Council see a budget-to-actual report for the year, and where is it posted?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Stratford?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Statement of operations, 2024: "Annual Surplus" budget 19,735,109, actual 30,849,818 (2023 restated 14,965,745). Total revenue budget 162,302,835, actual 181,221,484. Total expenses budget 142,567,726, actual 150,371,666. "Conditional grants" budget 36,303,220, actual 46,325,975. "Other revenue" budget 8,013,577, actual 12,710,732.
Note 24, Budget Note: the budget "reflects expensing all tangible capital expenditures rather than including just amortization expense." The reconciliation lists "Capital Expenditures" 45,841,000, "Budgeted transfers from accumulated surplus" (40,254,192), and ends at "Budget surplus (deficit) per statement of operations" 19,735,109.
Note 14, Accumulated Surplus: "The cumulative operating deficit reflects the Corporation's $194,691 cash-basis operating deficit (2023 - $799,930 operating surplus) as well as PSAB and consolidated adjustments." "Cumulative operating surplus (deficit)" 2,072,987 in 2024 and (10,846,687) in 2023.
June 15, 2026date of the auditor's report on the 2024 statements
Audited financial statements are the City's yearbook of money. The auditor's report on the 2023 statements is dated September 8, 2025. The report on the 2024 statements is dated June 15, 2026. That is roughly 20 and 18 months after each year ended (worked out by us). When we read the City's finance reports page on October 5, 2026, the latest audited statements posted were for 2024; we did not find 2025. The 2024 statements also restated 2023: the 2023 annual surplus was changed from $12,187,378 to $14,965,745. The City has said in its own 2026 budget that it wants these statements to "become timelier", so it knows about the gap. One restatement table prints a 2023 tangible capital assets figure of 365,414,123 that does not match the balance sheet (356,414,123), which looks like a typing slip.
Why it matters
Residents and lenders use audited statements to see whether the City's books can be trusted and whether the City is meeting its budget. Late statements make it hard to judge a council's record before an election. The City itself says timely statements matter for grants, loans and asset management.
It could be because…
The restatement of 2023 (corrections to capital assets, land held for sale, receivables and asset retirement obligations) may have needed extra audit work.
Changes in the City's finance team or its audit firm may have slowed the work. We did not find a published reason.
The City may post the 2025 statements soon. We only know what was on the page on October 5, 2026.
The mismatched figure is likely a typing slip in a note, since 353,221,622 plus the 3,192,501 adjustment gives the balance sheet figure of 356,414,123 (worked out by us).
Questions you could ask
When will the audited 2025 statements be signed and posted, and what held up the 2023 and 2024 statements?
Did the Audit Committee or Council receive a report on the reasons for the delay and on the 2023 restatement?
Will the City correct the capital assets figure printed in Note 21?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Stratford?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Independent Auditors' Report on the 2024 statements, signed "June 15, 2026", Brantford, Ontario. Opinion: the statements "present fairly, in all material respects". An "Emphasis of Matter - Restated Comparative Information" points to Note 21: certain comparative information for 2023 "has been restated."
Note 21, Prior Period Adjustment, "Net increase in annual surplus": as previously reported 12,187,378, adjustment 2,778,367, as restated 14,965,745. "Accumulated Surplus - End of Year": 374,944,115, adjustment 1,739,527, restated 376,683,642. The same table prints "Tangible capital assets" as restated at 365,414,123 (previously 353,221,622, adjustment 3,192,501).
General Government work plan: "Key activities include continued emphasis on ensuring that financial data and annual audited financial statements become timelier. This, along with other financial reporting is critical to ensure eligibility for grants, loan financing and to meet the City's asset management commitments."
$109,111,97410-year capital funding shortfall, after all identified sources
A 10-year capital plan lists what the City expects to spend on things like roads, sewers and buildings, and how it will pay for them. The 2026 Mayor's Budget says the plan totals $529,214,392 and, after counting reserves, grants, development charges, yearly transfers, planned borrowing and growth in tax revenue, leaves a "Revised Shortfall" of $109,111,974, or $10,911,197 a year. The City published this itself and says its infrastructure is "underfunded". It plans to close the gap slowly: the 2026 levy includes $1,182,800 for the plan, a "slower phase in" than the $5,008,000 increase in 2024. The City also shows it could borrow much more: its debt limit is about $191,202,346 against $56,998,062 now drawn or authorized.
Why it matters
A gap that is not paid for today is paid later, through bigger tax increases, more debt, or roads and pipes that wear out. A 3.19% tax increase for 2026 is easier to say yes to if the gap is understood. The City has been open about the number, which is a good thing, and the question for voters is how and when it closes.
It could be because…
Long plans are estimates. Grants may be bigger than the $81,855,000 the City counted, and costs may be refined as projects get designed.
The City has a lot of room to borrow ($191,202,346 maximum against $56,998,062), so the gap could be bridged with debt if Council chooses.
The plan includes $130,000,000 of road work taken from the asset management plan, which may be a worst case.
Council chose a slower phase-in on purpose to keep the 2026 tax increase low.
Questions you could ask
What is Council's plan to close the $10,911,197 a year gap, and by what year?
How much of the gap would fall on property taxes and how much on borrowing?
Which projects would be delayed first if the gap is not closed?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Stratford?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
"Summary of 10-year Capital Funding Shortfall": total projects 529,214,392; capital reserves (38,210,026); grants (81,855,000); development charges (30,023,532); annual transfers $20,910,386 x 10 years (209,103,860); long-term debt (44,800,000); "Revised Shortfall using all available revenue streams including growth" 109,111,974; "Annualized Shortfall" 10,911,197; "Long-Term Debt Maximum Capacity based on MMAH Annual Repayment limits approx." 191,202,346; "Current Long-term Debt (including drawn and authorized, not yet drawn)" 56,998,062. The page says infrastructure requirements "are underfunded".
Summary of Significant Impacts, item 4: 1,182,800 "Increase to infrastructure requirements to reflect underfunded 10-year capital plan phase in over 10 years (slower phase in than 2024 of increase of $5,008,000)."
The 2026 Budget page: "This results in a final 2026 City budget with a tax rate increase of 3.19%." (after Committee's approved amendments, confirmed in Mayoral Decision DE-2025-21).
$2,446,001projected Tax Stabilization Reserve balance at December 31, 2025 (was $7,931,001)
The Tax Stabilization Reserve is a savings account the City uses to smooth tax increases using past surpluses. The 2026 Mayor's Budget projects its balance at December 31, 2025 as $2,446,001, down from $7,931,001 a year earlier. The 2026 budget takes a further $661,200 from it "for one-time costs". The council chamber audio and broadcasting upgrade ($500,000) lists its funding as "Tax Stabilization Reserve/ to be determined". If both were taken from the reserve, about $1,284,781 would be left (worked out by us). The City says it has used the reserve for "temporary variances, or one-time costs" and that "reducing dependence" on it for permanent cost increases is "strongly recommended". Different pages of the same document show the 2026 draw as $1,550,000, $661,200 and $661,220.
Why it matters
A rainy-day fund that is almost empty cannot soften a bad year. The 2026 increase of 3.09% in the Mayor's Budget (3.19% after Council's additions) was held down partly by reserves, so the following year's increase may need to be larger. Three different numbers for the same draw make it hard for a resident to check.
It could be because…
The reserve is meant to be spent. Smoothing tax increases is its job, and the City says so.
The $1,550,000 figure in the work plan may be left over from the draft budget (before the Mayor's changes), and $661,200 may be the final figure. The budget does not say which is current.
The council chamber upgrade funding is marked "to be determined", so it may not come from this reserve.
A one-time draw for one-time costs does not by itself raise future taxes.
Questions you could ask
What is the Tax Stabilization Reserve's balance after the 2026 budget, and what is the City's target for it?
Which figure is the final 2026 draw, $1,550,000 or $661,200?
Will the council chamber upgrade be paid from this reserve, and how will the $150,000 a year of ongoing cost be funded?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Stratford?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Reserve and Reserve Fund Continuity, projected: "Tax Rate Stabilization" G-R14-TAXS-0000, opening balance (7,931,001), projected 2025 ending balance (2,446,001). Total reserves (19,486,805) opening, (14,395,720) projected ending.
Summary of Significant Impacts, "Mitigating Tools to Reduce Cost Impacts", item 7: (661,200) "Use of Tax Stabilization Reserves for One-time costs". Item 8: (41,640) use of boards and committee reserves. Item 9: (150,000) MAT reserves for the Lights On festival.
General Government work plan: "Tax Stabilization Reserve historically has been used to 'stabilize' tax rate increases that relate to temporary variances, or one-time costs in the budgeted expenditures using prior year surpluses. The 2026 draft budget proposes using $1,550,000. Reducing dependence on this reserve for operating cost increases that are more permanent in nature is strongly recommended."
General Government line G-139-1248-1810 "Contribution From Reserves": 2023 budget (1,498,041), 2024 (3,094,945), 2025 (3,014,990), 2026 draft (661,220).
Capital project A.4.1, Council Chambers Audio-Visual and Digital Broadcasting Upgrades: total project cost 500,000; funding "Reserve or Reserve Fund (specify)" 500,000, "Tax Stabilization Reserve/ to be determined"; future budget years 150,000.00 annual.
Mayor's message: "The Mayor's Budget provides for a 3.09% property tax increase, the lowest increase since 2021, which means about $167.00 more per year on an average home assessed at $317,000."
The 2026 Budget page: "This results in a final 2026 City budget with a tax rate increase of 3.19%." (after Committee's approved amendments, confirmed in Mayoral Decision DE-2025-21).
$14,000,000planned long-term debt for servicing the business park expansion, 2026 to 2027
The 2026 capital plan includes $14,000,000 to put water, sewer and road services into a business park expansion next to the Wright Business Park. All of it is shown as long-term debt, with the note "Repayment is intended to be short-term". The City says the cost will be "fully recoverable from the sale of the lots", that short-term borrowing is "likely required", and that any debt repayment "could be considered as a charge against the reserve fund until the lots are sold, resulting in no tax levy impact, but with a pressure on cash flow". The land will "not be City assets in the longer term". The debt summary page, dated September 8, 2025, lists $56,998,062 drawn and authorized and we did not find a line for this $14,000,000 on it. Adding it would give $70,998,062 (worked out by us).
Why it matters
This is the largest single item in the 2026 capital plan and it depends on lot sales that have not happened yet. If lots sell slowly, interest and repayments continue and the City may need to draw on reserves or taxes. The City says plainly there would be a cash flow pressure.
It could be because…
Servicing land and selling lots is a normal way to recover costs, and the City says the cost is fully recoverable.
The debt summary is dated September 8, 2025, before the 2026 budget, so it may simply not include proposed 2026 borrowing.
The project may be tendered in stages, or borrowing may not be needed if lot sales arrive in time. The City says it will do "further analysis" once the project is tendered.
Questions you could ask
Is the $14,000,000 in the $56,998,062 debt total, or in addition to it?
How many lots are planned, at what price, and when does the City expect the first sales?
If lots sell slowly, which reserve fund pays the interest and repayments?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Stratford?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Capital Project A.3.1, Wright Business Park Expansion, 2026-2027: consultants 500,000, contractors 13,500,000, total project cost 14,000,000. Funding sources: "Long Term Debt" 14,000,000, "Repayment is intended to be short-term". "The costs will be fully recoverable from the sale of the lots but given the scale of the project, short-term borrowing is likely required." "The lands are currently owned by the City but will not be City assets in the longer term."
"The debt repayment (if debt is utilized) could be considered as a charge against the reserve fund until the lots are sold, resulting in no tax levy impact, but with a pressure on cash flow."
Summary of Outstanding and Authorized Long-Term Debt, "At September 8, 2025": "Total drawn and authorized" principal payments 7,391,034, total payments in 2025 10,172,494, outstanding principal 56,998,062. The authorized, not yet drawn lines are Britannia Street Phase 2 4,685,000, 398 Erie St 4,972,000 and 9 Fulton St 4,602,300. Prior year balance 63,673,365.
Consolidated Capital Funding Summary, Corporate Services: "Business Park Expansion" 14,000,000 in 2026, with 14,000,000 shown under long-term debt; "Total Corporate Services" 15,055,000 for 2026.
Stratford spent $10.3M on water, sewers and garbage in 2019 and $15.5M in 2023. Prices only went up about 16% in that time.
Why did the cost of water, sewers and garbage grow 50% in 4 years?
Water, sewers and garbage
Prices (inflation)
−20%+0%+20%+40%+60%
+50%
20192020202120222023
Show as a table
Year
Water, sewers and garbage
Prices (inflation)
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+7%
+1%
2021
−12%
+4%
2022
+6%
+11%
2023
+50%
+16%
Change since the first year shown. The grey line is how much prices rose overall, for comparison.
Why it matters
When one area grows much faster than prices, it is either doing more (which may be great) or paying more for the same thing. Residents deserve to know which.
It could be because…
The city added a service, a building or staff that residents asked for.
Costs were moved from another area, so the total did not really change.
Accounting rules changed how costs are sorted.
Large one-time costs, like a study, lawsuit or repair, landed in one year.
Questions you could ask
What did the extra $5.2M a year pay for?
Why did recycling go from $959K to $5.9M?
Was each increase approved by council as a separate decision, or did it happen through the yearly budget?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Stratford?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
3 itemsnot properly decided in closed session, out of 25 closed sessions reviewed
Councils may meet in private for a short list of reasons, such as legal advice or buying land. They may talk in private about more things than they may vote on. The City's closed meeting investigator, a municipal law firm, reviewed 25 closed sessions between May 31, 2023 and September 9, 2024. The investigator found "very few violations" and says the City has improved its practices. It did find three agenda items at two meetings that were not properly in closed session. All three were decisions the investigator calls "substantive": votes on the next steps for land the City was buying (July 10, 2023), on what to do with the proceeds from a sale, and on a retroactive pay raise for some non-union staff (both October 10, 2023). The report was delivered to Council on April 29, 2025.
Why it matters
Open votes are how residents see who decided what. The investigator found that the problem was small, found it fixed, and gave advice. The remaining question is what Council did with that advice and whether the decisions were later confirmed in public.
It could be because…
The investigator says Council "made considerable efforts to improve practices" and found no later breaches.
The decisions may have been confirmed in open session afterwards. We did not read the minutes, so we do not know.
The City asked the investigator to consider an Ombudsman decision about wage increases and the investigator agreed the discussion itself was properly closed. Only the vote was the problem.
Questions you could ask
Did Council pass the resolution the law requires on how it will respond to the investigator's recommendations?
Were the pay raise and the use of sale proceeds later confirmed in an open meeting, and when?
The report's conclusion says the items "dated back only as far as October, 2023", but the body of the report also flags votes at the July 10, 2023 meeting. Which date is right?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Stratford?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Conclusion: "We reviewed 25 closed session meetings... we located only three individual agenda items, discussed at two different meetings, which were not properly in closed session... All three concerned substantive decisions that cannot be made in closed." The third was that "Council discussed substantive, retroactive pay raises, and approved same."
July 10, 2023, item 3.1: Council "provided instructions to begin issuing tenders for the new park, and to coordinate activities to develop the new park. These do not reasonably relate to any of the closed session exemptions and should not have been voted on."
October 10, 2023, items 4.2 and 4.5: "Council also voted that direction be given to staff concerning what is to be done with the proceeds from the sale of a specific City property." And on a proposed salary increase for certain non-union staff, "voting to implement the increase was not [proper], as this was a substantive decision which could not be made in closed."
$17,301conference and meeting expenses for the Mayor in 2025 (2024: $8,507)
Each year the treasurer reports what council members were paid. The 2025 statement shows $470,533 paid to and on behalf of the Mayor and ten councillors, up from $441,796 in 2024 (a rise of $28,737, worked out by us). Amounts paid for conferences and meeting expenses went from $35,435 to $44,942. For the Mayor, that line went from $8,507 to $17,301. In the 2026 Mayor's Budget, the Mayor's Office had $6,700 for conference expenses and $3,000 for travel and mileage in its 2025 budget, and had used $3,371 of the conference line by September 30, 2025. The statement counts items the budget lines may not, such as mileage and amounts paid on the Mayor's behalf, so the two are not directly comparable.
Why it matters
Conferences can be good value, since they are where councils lobby the province and learn from each other. The question is whether the amounts were planned and whether the public can see what they bought.
It could be because…
The Mayor may have attended or helped host more events in 2025 (for example the municipal conferences the budget names, AMO and FCM).
The statement covers more than the budget lines: mileage is included, and costs may be recorded in other accounts.
The 2025 statement says some 2025 amounts were paid after December 31, 2025, so timing may move amounts between years.
Part of the total rise is pay, not expenses: base pay for each councillor was 23,229 in 2025 against 21,724 in 2024.
Questions you could ask
What conferences and events made up the Mayor's $17,301 in 2025?
Does Council review conference spending against a budget during the year?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Stratford?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
2025 statement, TOTAL row: base remuneration 324,380; per diems 10,086; amounts in lieu of benefits 44,001; conference and meeting expenses 44,942; amounts directly from local boards 21,976; employer remittances 25,148; total 470,533. Mayor: base 90,066; conference and meeting 17,301; total 125,598. Councillors' per diems range from 0 to 4,230.
2024 statement, TOTAL row: base remuneration 303,367; per diems 14,520; amounts in lieu of benefits 44,001; conference and meeting expenses 35,435; local boards 20,636; employer remittances 23,837; total 441,796. Mayor: base 84,231; conference and meeting expenses 8,507; total 110,026.
Mayor's Office budget lines: G-101-1011-4036 Conference Expenses 2025 budget 6,700, 2025 year to date at Sept 30 3,371, 2026 draft 7,000; G-101-1011-4150 Travel/Mileage 2025 budget 3,000, year to date 2,300.
$1,821,135added to the 2026 levy by outside boards and partners
Under Ontario's "strong mayor" rules, which Stratford adopted on May 1, 2025, the Mayor sets the budget direction. The Mayor's direction of July 18, 2025 asked local boards and shared services to limit their increase to "not more than 3.5% net tax levy increase". The 2026 Mayor's Budget shows asks of 5.72% for the Police ($911,179), 5.48% for the Library ($169,518), 9.82% for Paramedic Services ($369,640) and 17.21% for Spruce Lodge ($166,065). Together, outside partners add $1,821,135 to the levy, against $2,453,044 within Council's control (before the $150,000 Lights On reserve item). The City's budget page says the final 2026 increase after three additions approved on November 27, 2025 is 3.19%, or about $172.00 a year on an average home.
Why it matters
Boards such as the police service are run separately from Council, so Council often cannot change their asks. The Mayor's direction says the request was only "respectfully" made. Residents may want to know where the City's share of costs it does not control is heading.
It could be because…
The direction itself describes these budgets as "not under the direct control of Mayor and Council", so the boards may have had reasons the budget book does not give.
The City says the Mayor's direction was a request, not an order.
Questions you could ask
What is the City's share of cost growth it does not control in 2027 and later years?
Did Council ask the Police Service Board and others to justify asks above 3.5%?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Stratford?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Direction 4(b): correspondence "be sent to respectfully request that the following Local Boards and Shared Services: Library, Police, UTRCA, Public Health, EMS, investStratford, Destination Stratford, Downtown Stratford Business Improvement Area, and Spruce Lodge submit a 2026 budget limited to their proportionate share of not more than 3.5% net tax levy increase over the 2025 adopted budget."
"Approval of 2026 Mayor's Budget": Committee approved three additions on November 27, 2025 (a Mini-X Excavator $76,500, accelerating a playground replacement $20,000 and a Fire Master Plan $90,000). "This results in a final 2026 City budget with a tax rate increase of 3.19%... an approximate increase to property taxes in 2026 of $172.00 annually" on an average home valued at $317,000.
Stratford spent about $449 per home on garbage, dump and recycling in 2023. The typical similar city spent $253. None of the 10 similar places spent more.
Why it matters
Spending more than neighbours is not wrong by itself. It might buy better service. But it is the first place to look for costs that could be lower, such as contracts that were not competitively bid.
It could be because…
Geography: more roads, more snow, a bigger area or a landfill of its own.
Accounting: some places record the same cost in a different category.
A one-time cost in this year.
Questions you could ask
What makes this cost higher here than in similar places?
When were the main contracts in this area last put out to competitive tender?
You can ask during the public part of a council meeting, by writing to the clerk, or by contacting your councillors. How to reach council.
Speak for Stratford?Send us your answer and we will publish it with this question.
The evidence
Garbage, dump and recycling per home: Stratford $449; typical similar city $253; ranked 1st highest of 11.
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