Council receives full report on finances

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

It was practically a one-woman show at Monday's council meeting as treasurer Tobi Lee presented councillors with seven reports covering the township's finances.

The reports started with a consolidated financial statement and followed with development charges, trust funds, building permit fees, the Canada Community Building Fund, parkland reserves and the status of capital projects in the township.

In her report on building permit fees, Lee said that, in 2025, the building department's revenues from building permits were about $360,000 less than expenses. She said it was the second year in a row that the department showed a shortfall.

In 2025, the department issued permits to the tune of $454,324, but expenses ran at $790,426. That left $629,294 in the Building Permit Reserve Fund.

Lee said that building permit fees remained unchanged for over a decade prior to 2024, adding that an updated fee schedule will be brought forward to council later this year, with implementation planned for 2027.

On the Canada Community Building Fund (formerly known as the Federal Gas Tax Fund) Lee said it is aimed at infrastructure and the municipality's share of the fund is allocated by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. In 2025, Uxbridge received $790,000 from the fund, bringing the total since the fund started to almost $13 million, of which almost $12 million has been spent.

Following discussion of Lee's reports, Mayor Dave Barton led council in a round of applause for the treasurer.