Steve Lesperance for CKL Councillor Ward 8

A MAJOR CAMPAIGN SECTION

CUT THE COST OF GOVERNMENT BEFORE ASKING TAXPAYERS FOR MORE.

Lower taxes through responsible spending: find the waste first, protect the services people rely on, and show the work in public.

THE STARTING POINT

Where City taxes stand today

Facts first, from official City records.

OFFICIAL SOURCE

The 2026 City budget totals $472 million

Council adopted the 2026 budget on November 25, 2025: $472 million across operating, capital, special projects, and water and wastewater.
Source: City of Kawartha Lakes, 2026 Budget adoption noticeYear: 2025Accessed: August 25, 2026View source
OFFICIAL SOURCE

The 2026 tax levy increase is 5.9%

2.9% for general operations, 2.0% for the dedicated capital levy, and 1.0% for special area rates (policing and Lindsay Transit). For an average home assessed at $267,000, the general and capital portions average about $160 more per year.
Source: City of Kawartha Lakes, 2026 Budget adoption noticeYear: 2025Accessed: August 25, 2026View source
STEVE'S POSITION

CUT WASTE BEFORE CUTTING SERVICES.

Before asking taxpayers for more, government should prove it is spending what it already collects responsibly. Find the waste, fix the structure, measure the results, and return genuine savings to taxpayers where possible.

THE PLAN

Ten places to look, in the open

Each review is tracked publicly in the Savings Tracker, with sources, so residents can follow the work.

Find waste and duplication

Line by line: where is the same work paid for twice, or paid for and not delivered?

Review management costs

How many layers of management sit between residents and the front line, and what do they cost?

Review consultants

What is being outsourced to consultants that staff could do, and what did we get for it?

Review contracts and vendors

Are contracts competitive, renewed on autopilot, or priced above market?

Review staffing growth

Is the workforce growing faster than the population and the services residents receive?

Examine overtime

Chronic overtime is a red flag for staffing, scheduling, or management problems.

Examine procurement

How the City buys is as important as what it buys. Open, competitive, documented.

Examine fleet costs

Vehicles, fuel, maintenance, and replacement schedules: are we getting full value?

Examine technology and software contracts

Licence sprawl and overlapping systems quietly drain budgets every single year.

Measure results

Every dollar should map to a result a resident can see. If it cannot be measured, ask why.

THE LINE THAT DOES NOT MOVE

Essential services are protected

Responsible spending means protecting what residents rely on every day.

Roads Snow removal Fire Paramedics Water Wastewater Emergency services Front-line services Rural services

Savings Tracker

Every spending question Steve is tracking, with status and sources.

Open the Tracker

Independent Forensic Audit

Why Steve supports independent professional scrutiny of City spending.

Why an Audit

City Finances, Explained

The budget, the levy, reserves, and debt, in plain language with sources.

See the Numbers

PLAIN ANSWERS

Common questions

YOUR NEXT STEP

See where the money actually goes.

Follow the Money

Or open the Savings Tracker