Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Read by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date. Check the sources, and tell us if you spot a mistake. What this site can't tell you Read by hand. We read Barrie's own documents for this site in October 2026; the Sources page lists which ones. The comparisons with other places still come from the Province's yearly reports.
A clear, checkable guide to Barrie's budget, taxes and council decisions. A single-tier city with a mayor and ten ward councillors. Every figure links back to the public record.
$245 millionof development charges now expected over five years, against $625 million estimated before
Development charges are fees that builders pay the City when new homes and buildings go up. The money pays for the roads, pipes and recreation centres that growth needs, and for the loans taken out to build them. The City's 2026 budget says it now expects to collect $245 million of these charges over the next five years, not the $625 million it estimated before. It says the balance of its development charge fund is expected to fall below zero in 2026 and stay there through the forecast. The audited statements show the fund already fell from $117,745,521 to $83,438,727 during 2025, as $47,944,642 came in against $94,908,358 the year before. The City has explained the cause: provincial rules that let builders pay later, and a slower building market.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
$111.8 milliona year short of replacing the City's assets as they wear out, according to the City's budget
A capital reserve is a savings account that pays for roads, pipes, buildings and vehicles when they wear out. The City's 2026 budget forecasts that its Tax Capital Reserve will go below zero by the end of 2027, with $408 million to be drawn over five years against $267 million paid in. It forecasts a $2.6 million deficit in the Water Capital Reserve by the end of 2026, growing to $54 million by 2030. It also says the City sets aside $111.8 million a year less than it would take to replace its assets as they wear out. The City has said plainly that this is a gap and that future budgets will need higher rates, more debt, or both.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources
$721,535in the WSIB reserve at the end of 2025, against $43,291,673 of estimated claims
Barrie pays its own workplace injury claims instead of paying into the provincial insurance fund (it is a Schedule 2 employer). Actuaries estimate the claims still to be paid. The audited statements put that at $43,291,673 at the end of 2025. The reserve the City keeps to help cover it holds $721,535. The City's budget says this reserve "is currently inadequate" and raises its yearly contribution by $250 thousand for 2026. It adds that further increases will be needed.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 4 sources
$215.9 millionof estimated capital carryforward from 2025, on top of $207.6 million recommended for 2026
Capital spending is money for things that last, such as roads, pipes and buildings. A carryforward is money approved in an earlier year for work that was not finished. The 2026 budget says it plans $207.6 million of capital spending in 2026, not counting an estimated $215.9 million of carryforward from 2025. It also says the City has carried "a significant unplanned carryover" from year to year for several years. The City says staff are adjusting project timing with the goal of reducing it.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 2 sources
$63,297,514of land added in 2025, against $2,878,874 in 2024
The statements list the cost of every kind of capital asset the City owns. Land additions were $63,297,514 in 2025 against $2,878,874 in 2024. The land line went from $521,612,447 to $584,909,961 and no land was sold or transferred out. The statements do not say which parcels these were. The City's budget names one land purchase for a south Barrie recreation complex and library, but it places that draw on the 2026 carryforward, so we cannot tell whether it is part of this amount.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
$11,488,657of transfer payments in planning and development in 2025, against $407,431 in 2024
A transfer payment is money the City hands to someone else, such as a grant or an incentive, rather than spending it on its own services. In the planning and development group, transfer payments were $11,488,657 in 2025 against $407,431 in 2024. The group's total spending was $18,304,312 against a budget of $9,482,752 and $8,635,650 the year before. The same group received $13,613,393 in government grants in 2025, up from $979,428. The statements do not say what the payments were for or who received them.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 2 sources
$41,857,030spent on goods and services in protection services in 2025, against $10,799,490 in 2024
The statements show protection services (police, fire, building and by-law enforcement) cost $175,794,400 in 2025 against a budget of $139,949,203 and $141,842,972 the year before. The notes say the 2025 ice storm activities are included in this section. Spending on goods and services in this group went from $10,799,490 to $41,857,030. Government grants in the same group rose from $9,144,818 to $35,201,395. The City's budget explains that a provincial disaster recovery grant helped pay for the cleanup. By our own subtraction (worked out by us), the grant rose by about $26.1 million and goods and services rose by about $31.1 million.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
$179,727,974surplus in 2025, against a budgeted $116,919,909
A surplus is what is left when a year's revenue is more than its spending. The statements show a surplus of $179,727,974 against a budgeted $116,919,909, which is $62,808,065 more (worked out by us). Revenue was higher than budgeted on several lines: government transfers and grants were $75,023,394 against $23,187,218, and investment income was $15,745,628 against $9,704,525. The City recorded $31,620,101 of contributed capital assets (such as roads built by developers), which the budget did not include. Spending was higher too, at $546,541,851 against a budget of $470,462,874. The statements explain that the City budgets on a different basis from the statements.
Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources
Where your tax bill goes
A property tax bill in Barrie pays for the city and schools. Only part of it goes to the city, and that part is what Barrie council controls.
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