Municipal Services

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Budget, Finances & Taxes

The Finance Department is responsible for the financial and accounting affairs of the Corporation. Services include municipal taxation, annual budgeting, procurement, collections, investing, payroll and information systems.

The annual Township budget allocates resources to public services and projects. The budget balances the resources drawn from the community against the demands for services and projects, while keeping Township taxes within acceptable limits and ensuring that services are sufficient.

The Township of Perth East’s infrastructure assets are key resources used to provide services to the public. All of these services contribute to the local economy and improve the quality of life for residents. These include:

  • the provision of a safe and efficient road network, that incorporates bridges and culverts
  • safe drinking water
  • environmentally sound wastewater treatment
  • efficient storm water management

The Asset Management Plan helps the Township make the best possible decisions regarding the construction, operation, maintenance, renewal, replacement, expansion and disposal of infrastructure assets while minimizing risk and cost to taxpayers while maximizing service delivery. 

The Township of Perth East Financial statements are intended to report on the financial condition as at December 31st each year, to ensure accountability and transparency, and to assist the Township with long-term and strategic planning. The financial statements are an important tool for Council and administration to use to report to the taxpayers on the municipal services provided with the resources at their disposal.

The Township of Perth East reports annually to Council in respect to the Development Charges Reserve Funds.  

Most municipal services are subsidized from property taxes.  User fees allow the Municipality to reduce the impact on the tax rate while continuing to provide a high levels of service to our ratepayers.

Certain municipal services carry fees and charges as seen below.  These fees are set by council annually.

The Fees and Charges By-law Schedules for 2026 can be found below:

The Township property tax department administers the collection of municipal revenue from property taxes, grants-in-lieu of taxes, local improvement charges and payments of taxes collected for the County of Perth and for school boards.

To estimate your property taxes, you can use the Property Tax Calculator. 

With the next Provincial re-assessment coming soon, a higher assessment value does not automatically mean higher property taxes.  Watch this MPAC video for a great tutorial on how your property taxes are calculated.

Installing tile drainage is a very common land improvement practice among farmers in Ontario. Corrugated plastic tubing, clay and concrete drain tile are installed beneath the surface of agricultural land to drain excess water from the crop root zone. The benefits of tile drainage for crop productivity, farm efficiency and even for reducing environmental impacts have been studied and are generally well known to farmers.

In Ontario, the Tile Loan Program, authorized by the Tile Drainage Act provides loans to agricultural property owners to help them finance these tile drainage projects.

About the Township’s Tile Loan Program

Landowners in Perth East planning to install a tile drainage system on their agricultural land are eligible for a tile loan under this program.

  • All tile loans have 10-year terms, and repayments are made annually with your property tax instalments.
  • Landowners are eligible for a loan of up to 75% of the value of the tile drainage work, up to $50,000
  • The provincial government sets the program interest rate. This rate is fixed for the full term of the loan, regardless of changes in market interest rates. The interest rate is calculated annually. The current interest rate is 6%.

The application process is quite simple. Tile Loan Information Sheet and the Tile Loan Application, are available online (or at the Municipal Office), and must be submitted to Perth East Council. Once Council approves the application, the owner arranges to have the work completed by a licensed tile drainage contractor (for more information see the OMAFRA Factsheet Agricultural Drainage Licensing). The Township will inspect the work.

The Township collects the loan repayments from the owner and remits them to OMAFRA. Defaulted payments are rare but are treated in the same manner as unpaid taxes. The loan can be repaid in full at any time. Contact (519) 595-2800 ext. 247 to find out the amount still owing at the time of your proposed payout date.

Is Your Farm Tiled?

You can visit the Agricultural Information Atlas site. Once past the agreement of terms, you will be able to zoom to your property and see the random and systematic tile that exists. Please note that this map is not provided by the Township of Perth East, so if you have any questions about the map or that website, please contact OMAFRA.

All community groups that meet the Recreation and Facility Funding grant criteria are given the opportunity to make a funding application to the Township of Perth East under the Perth East Recreation Funding Policy. 

The annual budget process will commence in November of the previous year. View the full Budget Meeting schedule.  

For any questions regarding the Recreation and Facility Funding policy and grant application please contact the Manager of Parks, Recreation and Community Services.

Contact Us

Paula Michiels
Manager of Financial Services / Treasurer

Township of Perth East
25 Mill Street East
Milverton, Ontario N0K 1M0
T.: 519-595-2800 x229
Toll Free: 1-888-712-0618
F.: 519-595-2801
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Contact Paula Michiels

Manager of Financial Services / Treasurer

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Perth County Open Air Fire Ban Lifted

PERTH COUNTY (August 25, 2025) – Effective at noon today, thanks to the recent rainfall, the open air fire ban will be lifted in the County of Perth, including the City of Stratford. Burn permits can now be issued and must abide by the respective municipality’s open air burn by-law.
With the monitoring of rainfall and vegetation conditions, Fire Chiefs are confident that residents can now safely burn. Please continue to practice safe burning by doing the following:

  •  Call your local fire department to obtain an open air burn permit.
  •  Closely supervise all outdoor fires. Make sure the fire is out before leaving the area.
  • Ensure that your open fire is the correct distance from all structures and other combustible materials.
  •  Never burn plastics, household garbage, construction debris, treated lumber or other laminate wood, tires, ashphalt products, pesticides, paint or aerosol containers, etc. These contain toxins that are harmful to people, animals and the environment when burned.
  • Avoid burning on windy days and be aware of wind direction when deciding to burn.
  • Never use gasoline or other flammable combustible liquids.

Have a source of water or equipment to move dirt/sand to extinguish the fire if necessary.
With weather conditions changing frequently during the summer months, we advise that the burn ban may be put back in place at anytime, if dry conditions return.
Farmers are still encouraged to be very careful with combining, as field fires can quickly overtake equipment, neighbouring crops and can spread quickly into adjacent woodlands. Having a fire extinguisher on board large equipment is highly recommended.
If you discover an uncontrolled/unattended open air fire, it is very important that you report fires immediately to 9-1-1. Do not delay reporting while attempting to control or extinguish the fire.
The Fire Chiefs in these municipalities wish to thank residents and visitors alike for their patience and co-operation during the fire ban.
If you have any questions regarding this order, please contact your local Fire Department.

Contact Jeff Bannon

Planner (County of Perth - Perth East)

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Contact Tyler Berry

Development Technologist

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Contact Jake Collings

Manager of Public Works

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Contact Loretta Wicke

Property Tax / Utilities Clerk

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Contact Paige Fletcher

Recreation Coordinator

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