Budgets and Financial Services

Budgets

Municipal finance is about the revenues and expenses of municipalities. Revenues are secured from local taxes and other local revenues and from provincial and federal grants. Below you will find the budgets for the past few years.

A budget is a plan for all revenues and expenses for the Township of Ramara.

2025 Municipal Budget

At the November 25 Special Council meeting, the Council adopted its 2025 budget with a 5.14% increase on the municipal portion of the tax rate, equating to an extra 30.65 per $100,000 assessment value. This year, the budget reflects the investment in Ramara’s core infrastructure, including roads, water, and wastewater, with 12.9 million allocated to capital projects.

Budget Highlights

2025 Budget Presentation

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a municipal budget?

The municipal budget prioritizes projects, programs and service levels based on anticipated revenues and expenses for the next calendar year. Essentially, the budget is a carefully prepared document to which outlines spending allowances while ensuring there are adequate funds available to support the municipal services for the community.

What are the two major components of a budget?

Within the municipal budget, there are two major components:

The operating budget accounts for the day-to-day expenses for operations, such as program staff, facility maintenance, and utilities.
The capital budget plans for the construction of new assets or improvement of existing assets, such as the wastewater treatment facility, Servus Sports Centre, and equipment used in operations.

How do we Balance the Budget?

The Township is required by provincial law to balance its operating and capital budgets each year. Simply put, the money raised must balance the money spent. To balance the budget, the Township can do the following:

Increase its revenue stream through raised property taxes and fees; or
Manage expenses through adapting or reducing the cost of programs and services.

What is an Operating budget?

Money is raised in two streams:

Tax rate: funded primarily through property taxes
User fees: user fees that are intended to make the programs and services self-sustaining. These include parking, water and wastewater and recreation.

Money is spent on the day-to-day expenses for program and service delivery including township road & sidewalk maintenance, recreation, library, parks, trails and fire services.

What is a Capital budget?

Money is raised through a combination of property taxes, development charges, grants and reserves.

The Township's Capital Budget must plan for the following year while preparing for long term investments. All Township of Ramara infrastructure projects are funded through the Capital Budget. A large part of that funding is directed toward maintaining and rehabilitating existing infrastructure. The Township's Capital Budget also prepares spending for new projects that will enrich lives and make your city a better place to live and do business. The Capital Budget pays for new facilities, playgrounds, and infrastructure to support a growing township. Money is spent on projects designed to create, enhance or restore the service potential of the Township's significant network of assets, which include infrastructure (roads, bridges, buildings etc.), land, equipment and vehicles.

View 10 year Capital Plans

View Past Budgets

View Past Budgets	View Budget Highlights
2024 Budget	2024 Budget Highlights
2023 Budget	2023 Budget Highlights
2022 Budget	2022 Budget Highlights
2021 Budget	2021 Budget Highlights

Capital Plan

A 10-year capital plan ensures that the Township of Ramara plans, budgets, and maintains assets to maximize asset lifecycles and ensures efficient use of available budgets. The plan is typically updated yearly based on information such as condition assessment data, risk assessments and other studies and plans. The 10-year capital plan can change based on council decisions and budget availability. Also, prices are subject to change due to inflation and costs.

Infrastructure (Roads) 10 Year Capital Plan

Infrastructure (Water/Wastewater) 10 Year Capital Plan

Fire 10 Year Capital Plan

Financial Statements

Financial Information Returns

Accounts Payable

The Township of Ramara offers payments to vendors (corporate or individual) via direct deposit into a bank account. A vendor can sign up using the vendor direct deposit forms.

Apply Now