2027 National Council Initiative

Restoring local control starts with a council audit.

Find out what your municipality signed up for, what it costs, and what council can review.

Download the free toolkit Email your council

Three areas for council to review

Programs and partnerships

What did the municipality join, who approved it, and which commitments are voluntary?

Grants and funding agreements

What conditions came with the funding, and what will the municipality pay over time?

Emissions targets and costs

What targets did council adopt, what would it cost to meet them, and what options does council have today?

Know the commitments. Know the costs. Know your options.

Email your municipal council

Enter your municipality and name, then copy the personalized message into your email.

Municipality

Your full name

Email preview

Subject: Request to Review How Outside Programs and Agreements Shape [Municipality]’s Decisions

Dear Mayor and Members of Council,

As a resident of [Municipality], I’m sharing the 2027 Council Audit Toolkit to help council see what’s driving the recommendations it receives today. A program a previous council chose to join can still shape staff recommendations, budgets, and purchases. Before making further decisions tied to those commitments, I recommend asking staff for a preliminary inventory using records the municipality already has.

Residents and councillors deserve to know which outside programs our municipality has joined, which commitments are legally binding or voluntary, and how much those voluntary programs cost taxpayers.

The attached toolkit includes a draft motion covering three areas:

1. Programs and partnerships — What outside programs did we join, and where do they inform municipal plans or staff recommendations?
2. Grants and funding agreements — What conditions did we accept, and what do they cost in municipal funds and staff time?
3. Adopted emissions targets — What would it cost to meet them, what practical alternatives are available, and what can council reconsider?

For each item, please identify the original joining resolution or agreement, known costs, and any continuing obligations. Distinguish what’s required under provincial law, what’s binding under an agreement, and what council took on voluntarily. That will help council see which commitments it can revise, end, or decline to renew, and decide what still serves local priorities.

Please consider bringing the toolkit’s preliminary inventory motion forward. I’d appreciate confirmation of receipt and guidance on how this recommendation can be placed before council.

Thank you for your service to our community.

Sincerely,

[Your Full Name]
[Municipality]

Attachment: KICLEI Canada 2027 Council Audit Toolkit (PDF)

Download the toolkit PDF (opens in a new tab)

Before you send: Download the toolkit PDF and attach it to your email. Then send your message to your mayor, councillors, and municipal clerk.

Bring the review forward

For residents

After you send the toolkit, ask your municipal clerk how to follow up or speak at a council meeting. Bring a neighbour, listen to the discussion, and share what you learn.

Join the local network →

For councillors

Start with the toolkit’s preliminary inventory motion. Follow your municipality’s procedures to request a staff report on existing commitments, what they cost, and what council can review or change.

Read the Localism Over Globalism Declaration →