Transparency

Ramara's money, plainly

Last verified June 12, 2026 · Every number links to its source

Skip ahead: what we're still asking the township to make public ↓

The short version

Ramara's total 2026 budget is $42.9 million ($42,942,300). About $17.3 million of that is raised from property taxes — roughly 40% of all revenue; the rest comes from water and wastewater user rates, grants, reserves, and other fees. The budget carries a 4.05% municipal tax-rate increase (about $25.36 more per $100,000 of assessed home value). The two biggest spending blocks are everyday operations ($23.8M, mostly wages, contracted services, debt, and policing) and capital projects ($18.2M, led by the $11.1M wastewater program). Council adopted the budget in November 2025. [2026 Budget Book (p.25)] [Township: budget adopted]

Where the money comes from

Ramara pays for services from a mix of sources. The budget book states plainly that "property tax revenue represents approximately 46% of revenue in 2025 and 40% in 2026" — meaning most of the money is not from property taxes. Water and wastewater are funded separately by the people connected to those systems, through user rates, not the general tax bill.

Source	2026	Share of total
Property taxes (the municipal levy)	$17,274,800	~40%
User rates, fees, grants, reserves & other revenue	~$25,667,500	~60%
Total budget	$42,942,300	100%

For comparison, the tax levy was $16,355,500 in 2025 — so the township is raising about $919,300 more from property taxes this year. The 2026 budget also draws about $2.5 million from reserves while putting $880,700 back in, for sudden costs and to steady future tax rates. Assessment values are still frozen at January 1, 2016 levels province-wide, so the increase comes from the rate and new construction, not reassessment. [2026 Budget Book (pp.9, 12, 25)]

The published budget book gives the total revenue and the property-tax share, but does not break the remaining ~60% into a single clean revenue-by-source table. The lines above are exactly what the township publishes; the dollar split between water rates, wastewater rates, grants, and other fees is not itemized in one place. See what's not published yet.

Where the money goes

Spending splits into day-to-day operating costs ($23.8M) and one-time capital projects ($18.2M). Here is the operating side, from the budget summary — these are the costs of actually running the township every day.

Operating cost	2026 budget
Wages & benefits	$8,913,900
Contracted services	$5,925,500
Debt & interest (largely wastewater)	$2,246,000
OPP policing	$2,038,000
Materials	$1,230,200
Grants paid out by the township	$762,400
Insurance	$722,300
Utilities	$637,900
Vehicles & equipment	$558,400
Other	$538,400
Legal fees	$250,000
Total operating (fixed) costs	$23,823,000

And here is the capital side — the buildings, roads, pipes, and equipment the township invests in this year. Capital is funded by a mix of tax dollars, user rates, grants, and reserves; the wastewater and water lines are paid by ratepayers, not the general tax bill.

Capital investment by service area	2026 budget
Wastewater (mainly the WWTF 202 rebuild)	$11,090,800
Roads & infrastructure	$4,856,700
Water	$618,600
Other	$495,500
Administration	$485,500
Fire	$372,500
Recreation & trails	$300,000
Council (post-election laptops)	$19,000
Total capital	$18,238,600

Putting it together: $23,823,000 operating + $18,238,600 capital + $880,700 contributed to reserves = the $42,942,300 total budget.

Both tables: [2026 Budget Book, Budget Summary (p.25)]

Capital projects tracker

The major 2026 capital projects, with what's published on each. Dollar figures are the township's; "status" reflects the most recent published council decision or release.

Project	Cost	Status
Bayshore Village wastewater rebuild (WWTF 202) New tile-bed treatment facility replacing the failed sprayfields	$24,146,270 total contract ~$17.6M provincial grant ~$6.5M township	Contract awarded March 2026 (Duivenvoorden Haulage Ltd.). Under construction; 6 of 11 tile beds due by Nov 15, 2026, the rest by June 30, 2027.
2026 roads program Repairs, rehabilitation, bridge & culvert renewals, and gravel-to-hard-surface upgrades across the township	$4,000,000	Funded in the 2026 budget; specific streets listed on the township roads page.
Bridge 201 — Lagoon City Bridge Structural rehabilitation	Not published	Listed as a township capital project; no dollar figure or completion date published.
Ramara Centre improvements Playground, baseball diamond, and roof repairs	$300,000 ($150,000 grant-funded)	Funded in the 2026 budget.
Fleet renewal Backhoe and trailer	$320,000	Funded in the 2026 budget.
Lagoon City Parks & Waterways drainage Drainage improvements (LCPW levy area)	$225,000	Funded in the 2026 budget (LCPW levy, not general tax).
Fire tanker truck Commitment toward a 2027 purchase	$252,000 set aside in 2026 ($850,000 total)	Reserved in 2026; truck to be purchased in 2027.

Sources: [2026 Budget Book (pp.22–23)] [Township: wastewater contract award (Mar 2026)] [Township: roads capital projects]

One number to reconcile: the budget book carries $10,150,000 for "construction of wastewater treatment plant #202." That was the township's 2026 budget line, set in November 2025. The full contract — awarded in March 2026 after the province announced a $30M infrastructure grant — totals $24,146,270 across multiple years, with about $17.6M covered by the province. Same project, two points in time. The full story is in our Wastewater brief.

Financial statements library

The township's audited financial statements and budget documents are public. We link to them here — we don't copy them, so you always read the official version.

What the township doesn't publish yet

Ramara publishes more than many small townships — a full budget book, audited statements, and 10-year capital plans. But several things a resident needs to truly follow the money are not available today. Each of these is a real, common transparency practice elsewhere; none is published by Ramara right now.

Searchable line-item spending. A searchable list of individual expenses — what was spent, on what, when. Ramara publishes budget categories, not a searchable transaction ledger.

Department-by-department actual vs. budget. A plain comparison, by department, of what each area was budgeted versus what it actually spent. The budget book shows prior-year actuals in summary, but not an ongoing, itemized variance report through the year.

Vendor payment disclosure. A public list of payments to suppliers and contractors (many municipalities post payments over a set threshold). Ramara does not publish one.

Plain-language variance explanations. When a project or department comes in over or under budget, a short written explanation of why. Ramara's statements report the numbers; they don't routinely explain the gaps in plain language.

These are exactly the questions the Ramara Civic Forum is putting to the township. In June 2026 we formally asked the Clerk's office for the council records — minutes, agendas, and bylaws — in bulk, machine-readable form, so residents can follow what council actually decides. That request is open and awaiting a reply. You can see it, and every request we've made, with how long each takes to answer, on our Asked the Township log.

Primary sources on this page: 2026 Budget Book · Budget adopted (township release) · Wastewater contract award · Budgets & Financial Services · Roads capital projects