Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to Woolwich's budget, taxes and council decisions. A township in Waterloo Region with a mayor and five ward councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
Follow Woolwich in one tapWhere it goes
Questions worth asking
Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.
$11.7Min savings at the end of 2024
Towns keep savings (called reserves) to pay for new trucks, roof repairs and surprises. Woolwich had $11.7M saved at the end of 2024, down from $15.3M in 2019. That is 44% of one year's spending. Only 2 of 42 similar towns had less, compared with what they spend.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$416,283overdrawn working capital reserve at December 31, 2024, in the audited statements (the 2025 budget had forecast $3,518,137 overdrawn)
A reserve is money a town sets aside for a purpose. The working capital reserve is meant to cover short gaps in cash, so the Township does not have to borrow from a bank. The 2025 budget forecast it would end 2024 overdrawn (below zero) by $3,518,137. The audited statements for 2024 show it overdrawn by $416,283. The 2026 budget explains that the Township had been borrowing from its own reserves to pay for projects (it calls this internal borrowing), that this had not been "accurately reflected" in the reserve, and that it was adjusted. The Mayor's message lists "financial reporting discrepancies" among the things the 2026 tax increase pays for, and says the Township has "about one quarter of the reserves that a healthy community would expect to have". The statements also show cash falling from $12,251,681 to $6,498,065 during 2024.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 7 sources
$900,000expected winter control deficit for 2025, with a reserve of $20,428 to draw from
Winter control is the cost of ploughing, salting and sanding. The 2025 budget set it at $1,118,500, after an adjustment of -40,000 from the department's request of $1,158,500. The 2026 budget says the "most recent Q3 2025 financial report shows significant deficits in winter control with an expected 2025 deficit of $900,000 with no winter control reserve to draw from", and that staff found the line "has been chronically under budgeted for several years". The winter reserve held $20,428 at the end of 2024. The 2026 budget raises winter control to $1,318,350 and adds a $200,000 yearly reserve contribution. The Township has already told residents why, so our question is about how the gap was covered and how it was missed.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$55,796,370carrying value of the Township's Enova investment at the end of both 2023 and 2024
Enova is the local electric utility that the Township part-owns. It pays the Township a dividend (a share of profit). The 2026 budget says the Township "has been experiencing significant operating deficits for years which have previously been covered by one time funding from surplus Enova dividends", and that this "surplus revenue is expected to end in 2026". From 2026, the Enova dividend is used for the capital (building and roads) program. The 2025 budget notes a "one-time surplus in the Enova dividend" helped produce a $216,544 operating surplus for 2024. The audited statements carry the Township's Enova investment at $55,796,370 at both the end of 2023 and 2024, the same to the dollar.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$210 millionshortfall the Township reports between 10-year growth costs and expected development charge and grant revenue
Development charges are fees builders pay so that growth pays for new roads, pipes and fire halls. The 2026 budget says the 10-year growth costs in the 2024 study "exceed $330 million" against expected development charge and grant revenue of $115 million, "which leaves a $210 million shortfall". It says that level of spending "simply could not be supported". The development charge accounts for water, wastewater and fire are overdrawn and are borrowing from the roads account: the budget estimates $4,617,386 owed between the accounts at the end of 2026. The development charge reserves held $3,936,353 at the end of 2024 and are planned to fall to $1,462,241 in 2026. The Township explains this and has begun a new growth plan.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$788,446wastewater operating reserve overdrawn at the end of 2025 (revised estimate), in the 2026 budget
Wastewater is the sewer system, paid for by sewer rates rather than property tax. The 2026 budget's reserve table shows the "Wastewater - Operating" reserve overdrawn by $788,446 at the end of 2025 (revised estimate) and $608,446 at the end of 2026, and the "Wastewater - Capital" reserve overdrawn by $120,245 at the end of 2026. The budget says the Township "has also experienced large operating deficits in the water and wastewater operating budgets" and says reserves improved. The rates document raises the wastewater operating contingency contribution to $320,000, but the reserve table shows a 2026 contribution of $180,000. The rates document prints the 2026 wastewater rate as 3.97, up from 3.72.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
+11%town property tax, 2023 to 2024
In 2024, Woolwich collected $1.6M more in its own property tax than in 2023. That is a 11% jump, while prices went up about 2.4%. Only 6 of 42 similar towns raised theirs by more. Almost all of it came from a higher tax rate (up 8% for homes); the value of homes on the tax roll grew only 2.9%.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 4 sources
+47%parks, arena and library, 2019 to 2024
Woolwich spent $5.0M on parks, arena and library in 2019 and $7.4M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 8 of 42 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
+108%water, sewers and garbage, 2019 to 2024
Woolwich spent $1.6M on water, sewers and garbage in 2019 and $3.3M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 2 sources
$1,411,643total estimated tax increase for 2026 (7.8%), of which the base budget is $516,737 (2.9%)
The 2026 budget was the first "strong mayor" budget in Woolwich. The Mayor says the base increase is "about $3.05 per month for the average household or 2.9%". After new requests, fixing past under-budgeting, new reserve contributions and a 1% infrastructure levy, the printed total is a 7.8% increase, or $1,411,643. The Township explains each piece. Among them: $273,294 to correct labour and equipment cost allocation that, in the last three years, left the engineering administration line $315K, $420K and $342K over. Staff reported a tax supported operating deficit of $426,738 for 2025, after a surplus of $216,544 for 2024. This is an explained question: the open part is whether the new numbers will hold.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 6 sources
$100 million10-year infrastructure gap the Township's asset management identified
The Township sets money aside each year for roads, bridges and buildings through the infrastructure levy, a part of the tax bill. The 2026 budget says a 2012 study found "a levy of between 3-4% per year was required", and that the Township's asset management "identified a 10-year infrastructure gap of over $100 million". The 2026 budget adds a 1% increase, about $180,000, to reach $2.54M. The budget also says some projects were cut or cannot go ahead: the road conversion program estimate fell from $6.5M, and a $2,500,000 arena project has "Insufficient funding". The Township is open about this and says only the first year of its 10-year plan is "adequately vetted and funded".
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
October 10, 2025date of the auditor's report on the 2024 statements, the latest posted on October 5, 2026
Audited financial statements are the check, by an outside accounting firm, on the Township's books. KPMG LLP signed its opinion on the 2024 statements on October 10, 2025, and on the 2023 statements on November 20, 2024. Both opinions say the statements "present fairly" the Township's position. On October 5, 2026, the Township's financial reporting page listed 2020 to 2024 audited statements and no 2025 statements. The 2026 budget was prepared in autumn 2025, before the 2025 books were closed, so it used estimates for the end of 2025.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
2024 tax year · Woolwich, Ontario
Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what Woolwich'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 Woolwich.
a year in property tax, at 2024 rates
Woolwich council sets only its own share. County or region sets its share, the Province sets the school rate.
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Woolwich's share by what each service cost in 2024 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.
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Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.
We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.
Towns are only compared with places of a similar size and kind, from the same yearly reports.
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