Budget and Finance

Developing the Township's annual budget is a collaborative process that begins months before it is approved by Council. The goal is to balance service levels, infrastructure needs, legislative requirements, and financial sustainability while keeping taxation as affordable as possible.

1. Strategic Priorities

The process begins by reviewing Council's Strategic Plan, asset management priorities, legislative requirements, and community needs to identify upcoming projects and service enhancements.

2. Department Budget Requests

Each Township department prepares its operating and capital budget requests based on:

• Maintaining existing service levels
• Legislative obligations
• Infrastructure replacement needs
• New initiatives
• Operational efficiencies

Staff review each request to ensure it aligns with Township priorities and long-term financial planning.

3. Financial Review

The Finance Department works with senior leadership to:

• Review revenues and expenditures
• Estimate grant funding
• Forecast assessment growth
• Review reserve balances
• Evaluate debt capacity
• Consider inflation and economic impacts

Multiple versions of the budget are prepared before being presented to Council.

4. Council Budget Workshops

Council participates in budget presentations and workshops where:

• Department budgets are reviewed
• Capital projects are prioritized
• Service levels are discussed
• Questions are addressed
• Adjustments are made where appropriate

These discussions help shape the final proposed budget.

5. Public Budget Presentation

Before the budget is adopted, the Township presents the proposed budget during a public Council meeting. Residents are encouraged to review the budget and follow the discussion to better understand how municipal dollars are invested.

6. Budget Adoption

Following Council's review and consideration of any final adjustments, the annual budget is formally adopted by resolution. Once approved, staff implement the budget and report back throughout the year on financial performance.

Responsible financial management extends beyond balancing the annual budget. The Township follows established financial policies, long-term planning strategies, and annual reporting practices to ensure public funds are managed responsibly, transparently, and in the best interests of the community.

1. Annual Budget Planning

Each year, Council adopts an operating and capital budget that outlines how municipal services will be delivered and how infrastructure investments will be funded. The budget balances community priorities, legislative requirements, available revenues, and long-term financial sustainability.

2. Long-Term Financial Planning

While the budget focuses on the current year, the Township also plans for the future. Long-term financial planning helps identify future infrastructure needs, anticipated growth, replacement schedules, and funding requirements so that today's decisions support tomorrow's community.

3. Financial Accountability

The Township is committed to openness and accountability in managing public funds. Financial information is presented to Council throughout the year, annual budgets are considered during public meetings, and audited financial statements are prepared each year by an independent external auditor.

4. Financial Policies

Council has adopted financial policies that provide a consistent framework for managing public funds. These policies guide areas such as purchasing, reserves and reserve funds, investments, debt management, and asset management planning.

Together, these policies support responsible decision-making and help ensure the Township remains financially sustainable.

5. Continuous Financial Monitoring

Financial planning does not end once the budget is approved. Throughout the year, staff monitor revenues, expenditures, capital projects, and reserve balances to ensure the Township remains on track to achieve its financial objectives.

Monitoring financial performance allows staff to identify emerging issues early and provide Council with information needed to make informed decisions.

6. Learn More

To learn more about the Township's finances, explore the resources available on this page, including:

• Annual Budgets
• Audited Financial Statements
• Asset Management Plans
• Fees and Charges
• Property Taxes
• Biannual Financial Updates to Council
  • June 2026
  • October 2025
  • June 2025
  • October 2024
  • June 2024

These documents provide additional detail about how the Township plans, invests, and reports on its financial activities.

The Township's Asset Management Plan guides how municipal infrastructure is maintained, rehabilitated, and replaced over time to ensure services remain reliable and financially sustainable.

The complete 2025 Asset Management Plan is available for review as well as a summarized explanation found below.

The 2026 Long Range Capital Forecast outlines the forecast for the following 10 year span, 2026 to 2035.

1. Understanding the Asset Management Plan

The Township updated its Asset Management Plan to comply with Ontario Regulation 588/17. The plan includes the following key components:

Inventory and Condition Assessments

Municipal assets have been categorized and assessed to create detailed records of their age, condition, and estimated replacement cost.

The total estimated replacement cost of the Township’s municipal assets is $55.67 million.

The road-condition maps below compare the Township’s road network in 2022 and 2025. Several roads have been rehabilitated since the 2022 Asset Management Plan, demonstrating the Township’s continued investment in its most significant infrastructure.

The Township uses a combination of property taxes, grants, reserve funds, user fees, and other funding sources to support municipal services and infrastructure.

Financial decisions are guided by the Township’s financial policies, Asset Management Plan, long-range capital forecasting, and annual budget process. Together, these tools help Council balance current community needs with long-term affordability and financial sustainability

1. Grant Funding

The Township regularly applies for provincial and federal grant programs to support infrastructure, facilities, community programming, accessibility initiatives, and other municipal priorities.

Grant funding can reduce the amount that must be funded through property taxes or reserves and may allow important projects to proceed sooner than would otherwise be possible.

However, grants are often competitive, restricted to specific purposes, and may require the Township to fund a portion of the project. Grant availability can also change from year to year and cannot be relied upon as the only source of funding for essential infrastructure.

2. Reserves and Reserve Funds

The Township’s Reserve and Reserve Fund Policy guides how reserves are established, funded, used, monitored, and reported.

Reserves and reserve funds are amounts set aside for future operating and capital needs. They help the Township prepare for infrastructure replacement, major projects, emergencies, elections, revenue fluctuations, and other anticipated or unexpected costs.

The Township maintains both discretionary reserves and obligatory reserve funds. Obligatory reserve funds, such as Development Charges and the Canada Community-Building Fund, must be used only for the purposes permitted by legislation or funding agreements.

The policy also establishes reserve targets and requires reserve balances and forecasts to be reported to Council through the annual budget, financial reporting, and year-end audit processes.

3. Why Reserves Are Not Simply Used to Lower Taxes

Using reserves to reduce taxes may provide temporary relief, but it does not reduce the ongoing cost of delivering municipal services.

Once those funds are spent, the same operating and infrastructure costs remain, while fewer resources may be available for future projects, equipment replacement, emergencies, or unexpected financial pressures.

The Township’s policy directs audited year-end general levy surpluses to the reserve for capital works, helping build funding for future infrastructure rather than using one-time revenue to support ongoing expenses.

4. Capital Funding Strategy

The Township uses its Capital Asset Funding Strategy together with the 10-Year Long-Range Capital Forecast to consider how future capital projects will be funded.

The strategy considers a combination of:

• annual tax-supported capital contributions
• reserve and reserve fund contributions
• predictable infrastructure funding, including the Canada Community-Building Fund and Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund
• funding made available as existing debt is retired
• development charges for eligible growth-related projects
• responsible borrowing where appropriate

The Long-Range Capital Forecast identifies anticipated investments in roads, culverts, buildings, vehicles, equipment, studies, and other Township assets over the coming 10 years.

5. Responsible Borrowing

The Township’s Debt Management Policy establishes controls for the use and repayment of debt and connects borrowing decisions to long-term planning and financial stability.

Before debt is considered, the Township must assess available grants and other external funding, the impact on future ratepayers, financial risk, repayment costs, and the useful life of the asset. The term of the debt cannot exceed the useful life of the asset and is limited to a maximum of 25 years.

The policy also limits the Township’s annual debt repayment to no more than 15% of its own-source revenues, preserving financial flexibility for emergencies and other priorities.

6. Balancing Current and Future Needs

Council and staff review operating costs, reserve balances, capital forecasts, grant opportunities, asset-management requirements, and debt capacity as part of the annual budget process.

No single source of funding can address every municipal need. Responsible financial planning requires the Township to combine funding tools while considering affordability, infrastructure condition, service levels, and the impact of today’s decisions on future taxpayers.

Learn More

The Township's financial policies provide additional information on how reserves, debt, and long-term financial sustainability are managed.

• Reserve and Reserve Fund Policy

• Debt Management Policy