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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Wollaston'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 / WollastonUpdated Oct 7, 2026

Your town, in plain words

How Wollaston uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Wollaston's budget, taxes and council decisions. A township in Hastings County, in the Bancroft area, with its office in Coe Hill and a mayor and four councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.

Property tax raised in 2025$3.0Mall property in Wollaston68% Town22% County10% SchoolsSee where your tax bill goes →
Town spending, 2025$3.0MAbout $8,467 per household, down 3.1% from 2024.See the money →
Property tax change+5.9%Wollaston's own property tax came to $2.0M in 2025, against $1.9M in 2024.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday town.

Explore every service →
Roads and snow$1.3M · 43%
Police, fire and safety$723K · 24%
Running the town office$617K · 21%
Water, sewers and garbage$239K · 8%
Show all 5 servicesShow fewer
Parks, arena and library$116K · 4%

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

Where it comes fromWho pays for Wollaston's services?Property taxes58%Money from Ontario (no strings)29%Grants for specific projects4%Other4%Smaller sources5%$3.5M came in during 2025.See the money →

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 11 questions
Worth askingRising costs

Why has the money Wollaston raises from property taxes for its own services grown about 25% in three years?

$2,130,345.30the 2026 general municipal levy, against $1,700,939.97 for 2023

The levy is the amount of money the Township collects from property owners through its own tax rate (the County and the school boards collect theirs on top). Each spring Council passes a by-law saying how much of the year's spending is paid by property tax. The by-laws we read give $1,700,939.97 for 2023, $1,890,493.75 for 2024 and $2,012,779.46 for 2025. The 2026 by-law gives $2,130,345.30 for "General Municipal Purposes". Worked out by us, that is about 11% more in 2024, 6% more in 2025 and 6% more in 2026, and about 25% more than in 2023. We did not find a budget report that explains the rises.

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

Worth askingMoney health

How will Wollaston pay back the $2,760,261 it owes, most of it borrowed for the new fire hall?

$2,760,261long term debt at December 31, 2024, with $2,097,582 of interest still to pay

In 2023 Council borrowed $2,723,338.00 from Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation, a provincial lender, towards the cost of the new fire hall. The loan runs 30 years at 4.59%. At December 31, 2024 the Township owed $2,760,261 in total, and its statements show net debt of $(942,351), meaning its debts were larger than its financial assets. Interest paid in 2024 was $127,414, up from $89,633 in 2023. Over the years left, the statements show $2,097,582 of interest still to pay on top of the debt.

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

Worth askingRising costs

Why did Wollaston spend $782,730 on contracted services in 2024 when the budget was $585,547?

$782,730contracted services in 2024, against a budget of $585,547

Contracted services means work paid for by invoice (contractors, consultants, outside firms) instead of by wages. The 2024 statements show $782,730 spent, against a budget of $585,547 and $617,681 the year before. The same year, salaries and benefits came in at $1,138,161 against a budget of $1,298,531. In the segment tables, contracted services in general government (the council and office) were $347,753 in 2024 and $166,911 in 2023.

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

Worth askingOpenness

Where can a resident find Wollaston's budget, the 2025 statements in readable form, and the council pay report?

2021the most recent year with a budget summary on the Township's Budget & Finance page

The Township's Budget & Finance page lists financial statements for 2019 to 2025, yearly tax rate by-laws, and the by-laws that set each year's estimates. On the date we read it, the only budget documents were the 2019 budget and the 2021 budget summary; for 2022 to 2026 there were by-laws, not a budget book or presentation. We did not find a council pay and expenses statement (the yearly report the Municipal Act requires) on the page. The 2025 statements file we downloaded has no readable text, so we could not read any figure from it.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source

Show 7 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingRising costs

Why did the cost of roads and snow grow 75% in 6 years?

+75%roads and snow, 2019 to 2025

Wollaston spent $727K on roads and snow in 2019 and $1.3M in 2025. Prices only went up about 21% in that time.

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

Good to knowMoney health

Why was only $29,073 of federal gas-tax money used in 2024 when the budget planned $166,898?

$159,105Canada Community-Building Fund balance held at December 31, 2024

The Canada Community-Building Fund is money that can only be spent on approved projects. The 2024 budget in the statements expected $166,898 of it to be used. The statements show $29,073 used, and a balance of $159,105 still held at year end. Spending on capital assets (roads, buildings, equipment) was $244,608 against a budget of $395,356.

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

Good to knowMoney health

Why do the statements show a planned 2024 deficit of $220,822 when Council approved a balanced budget?

$(56,402)actual 2024 annual deficit, against a budgeted $(220,822) in the statements

The statements print a 2024 budgeted deficit of $(220,822), and an actual deficit of $(56,402). The Township explains the difference itself: Council's approved budget is built differently from the statements. Council's approved annual surplus is shown as nil, and the statements adjust it for capital purchases, amortization (the yearly wearing out of assets), loan repayments and transfers to reserves.

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

Good to knowMoney health

What are Wollaston's reserves of $2,365,519 meant to pay for, given it also carries debt?

$2,365,519total reserves at December 31, 2024

Reserves are savings that Council sets aside for later. At December 31, 2024 the Township held $2,365,519 in reserves, up from $2,224,399. The largest are working capital ($1,118,391) and future capital assets ($806,159). The same statements show long term debt of $2,760,261 and an unfunded asset retirement obligation (the estimated cost of closing the landfill and removing asbestos and fuel tanks) of $577,948.

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

Good to knowHow decisions are made

Why is the library board's report a review with a qualified conclusion, not an audit?

$50,278total library board revenue in 2024

The Wollaston Public Library Board's 2024 statements are included with the Township's. The accounting firm did a review (a lighter check than an audit) and gave a qualified conclusion, meaning it could not check one kind of income. The firm gives its reason: the board gets income from donations and other sources it could not test beyond the board's own records. The amounts are small: donations and other revenue were $2,534 and total revenue $50,278.

Found by reading the town's own documents · 1 source

Good to knowMoney health

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

−$588Knet financial position, 2025

In 2019, Wollaston had $1.3M more in cash and money owed to it than it owed to others. By 2025 it was −$588K. About 30% of that change ($564K) 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 1 of 3 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 Wollaston pays for three governments. Only part of it goes to the town, and that part is what Wollaston council controls.

Tax bill split: Wollaston 68%, County or region 22%, Schools 10%
$3.0Mraised in 2025
  • Wollaston68%
  • County or region22%
  • Schools10%

  • 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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