Message from the Reeve - Legal Fees paid by Tay Valley Township

Message from the Reeve – Legal Fees paid by Tay Valley Township

There have been recent public allegations that Tay Valley Township pays an exorbitant amount of money for legal fees.

The following table identifies the total amount of legal fees paid from 2018 to 2025 for all Township matters, not just litigation.

The table also identifies other expenses related to litigation by or against the Township.

Figures have been rounded to the nearest dollar.

      Year                       Legal Fees                   Litigation-Related Expenses

• 2018                     $137,022                      $78,587
• 2019                     $112,257                      $3,679
• 2020                     $101,218                      $5,048
• 2021                     $75,376                        $9,962
• 2022                     $55,610                        $0
• 2023                     $120,390                      $3,276
• 2024                     $229,324                      $14,438
• 2025                     $124,844                      $11,884

Total legal fees may relate to a wide range of Township activity including animal control, building and planning, by-law enforcement, cemeteries, corporate administration, election administration, Township governance, grants, human resources, Integrity Commissioner services, municipal drains, matters before the Ontario Land Tribunal, public works, tax sales, waste management services, and more.

Some legal fees are reimbursed to the Township by applicants, for example for planning, road closings, road naming applications and so on.

The Township cannot provide a breakdown of the fees paid for each category named above, as this would result in the disclosure of solicitor-client privileged information.

Please also note that the Township does not have an in-house solicitor.