Christmas every day

It’s Christmas every day when it comes to Councils spending habits.

Our Council is good at only sharing what they want you to see, but there are places where you can still find information.

Go to the towns website. In the dropdown menu find finance and look for the “Audited Financial Statements”. These audits don’t dig into opinions that money was well spent, just that the numbers add up and “proper practices” are in place. There are specific municipal regulations regarding municipal finance and these audits ensure THOSE regulations are adhered to.

Any criticism of “our” spending has to come from those who are being taxed. But the reality is budget documents are long, complicated documents and are a little overwhelming for most people to completely understand.

For you and I, that’s okay, because our Council is tasked with understanding it all. Probably their most important responsibility is the oversight of our finances.

So, today, I poked around the 2023 audited financial statements. On page 5, I noted something of concern. Check out the differences in budgeted vs. actual in the expense columns.

Why have a budget if you’re going to spend millions more than the budgeted amount?

I also found the comparison between the 2023/24 years interesting.

For those who have the time, have a look at previous years to find the REALLY interesting differences.

Spend, Spend, Spend Brian. But if you ever move back to Wasaga Beach, you will have to pay these taxes on your home as well.

Oh… if anyone wants an interesting project, look for the last 4 years of our tax levy bylaw. Comparing the appendixes in those bylaws may be interesting.