Council BooksCharlton-DackOntarioSign inSubscribe
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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Charlton-Dack'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.

The money · 2025

How Charlton-Dack's money works

A town is a bit like a household. Money comes in (mostly taxes and grants), and money goes out to pay for services like roads, fire trucks and the arena. Here is what that looked like in 2025, the latest year the town has reported to the Province.

Why 2025 and not this year? A budget is a plan. These figures are what actually happened, checked by an auditor and reported to Ontario.

Money in: $2.7M

Where the town's money came from in 2025.

Charlton-Dack revenue by source, 2025
  • Property taxes$894K33%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$222K8%
  • Grants for specific projects$684K25%
  • Other towns and the county$393K15%
  • Fees people pay$420K16%
  • Everything else$92,5803%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$894,19033.0%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$221,7008.2%
Grants for specific projects$683,85325.3%
Other towns and the county$392,97714.5%
Fees people pay$420,28215.5%
Everything else$92,5803.4%
Total$2,705,582100%

What each source means

Property taxes
What home and business owners pay each year, based on what their property is worth.
Money from Ontario (no strings)
A yearly grant from the Province that the town can spend on anything. Small rural towns get more.
Grants for specific projects
Money from Ontario or Canada that must be spent on a certain thing, often a road or building.
Other towns and the county
Payments from neighbours for shared services.
Fees people pay
Water and sewer bills, dump fees, arena rentals, permits and similar charges.

Money out: $1.9M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2025, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $340K of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Charlton-Dack spending by service, 2025
  • Running the town office$615K32%
  • Police, fire and safety$136K7%
  • Roads and snow$629K33%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$287K15%
  • Health$134K7%
  • Social services$26,8331%
  • Housing$44,3142%
  • Parks, arena and library$33,4242%
  • Planning and business$11,2351%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$614,70932.1%
Police, fire and safety$136,2487.1%
Roads and snow$629,41732.8%
Water, sewers and garbage$286,63315.0%
Health$134,3777.0%
Social services$26,8331.4%
Housing$44,3142.3%
Parks, arena and library$33,4241.7%
Planning and business$11,2350.6%
Total$1,917,190100%

Roads and snow

$629K

Fixing and paving roads, bridges and culverts, ploughing snow, and street lights.

+110% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Gravel roads$607K+117%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  2. Street lights$13,160

    Power and repairs for street lights.

  3. Airport$6,723

    A local airport or airstrip.

  4. Bridges and culverts$2,056

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Gravel roads$607,478+117.1%
Street lights$13,160–
Airport$6,723–
Bridges and culverts$2,056–

Running the town office

$615K

Council, managers, the clerk, accounting, computers, insurance and the town hall itself. Every town needs some of this, but it does not fix a road or put out a fire.

+78% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Senior management$601K+87%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  2. Council$13,222

    Pay and expenses for the mayor and councillors, and council meetings.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$601,487+87.3%
Council$13,222–

Water, sewers and garbage

$287K

Clean tap water, the sewer system, garbage pickup, the dump and recycling.

+53% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Water pipes$210K+27%

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

  2. The dump (landfill)$74,583

    Running the landfill, and saving up to close it safely one day.

  3. Recycling$1,722

    Recycling and composting.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Water pipes$210,328+26.9%
The dump (landfill)$74,583–
Recycling$1,722–

Police, fire and safety

$136K

Paying for police, the fire department, building inspectors and by-law officers.

−7% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$81,114−14%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$36,148+12%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. Building permits$17,048

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. By-law and animal control$1,553

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  5. Emergency planning$385

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$81,114−14.5%
Fire department$36,148+11.5%
Building permits$17,048–
By-law and animal control$1,553–
Emergency planning$385–

Health

$134K

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+71% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Health broken down
  1. Ambulance$90,046+41%

    Paramedics and ambulances.

  2. Public health$35,187

    Health inspections and programs.

  3. Cemeteries$9,144

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Ambulance$90,046+41.0%
Public health$35,187–
Cemeteries$9,144–

Housing

$44,314

Affordable and social housing.

−6% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Housing broken down
  1. Public housing$44,314−6%

    Homes owned by government.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Public housing$44,314−6.5%

Parks, arena and library

$33,424

Parks, the arena, the pool, sports fields, programs and the library.

−49% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$27,799−25%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Arts and culture$4,179

    Festivals, arts and heritage.

  3. Library$1,446

    The public library.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$27,799−25.1%
Arts and culture$4,179–
Library$1,446–

Social services

$26,833

Help for people and families who need it, and child care.

+18% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Social services broken down
  1. Income support$19,782

    Help for people with very low income.

  2. Child care$7,051

    Daycare and early learning.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Income support$19,782–
Child care$7,051–

Planning and business

$11,235

Deciding what can be built where, and trying to bring businesses and visitors to town.

−47% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$11,235

    Deciding what can be built where.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$11,235–

What the money bought

The same 2025 spending, sorted by what it paid for rather than which service.

Spending by type
  1. Staff pay and benefits$753K

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Supplies and utilities$503K

    Gravel, salt, fuel, electricity, heating, office supplies and repairs.

  3. Outside companies$354K

    Work the town pays other companies to do, like policing, paving or consultants.

  4. Money given to others$284K

    Grants and payments to other groups, like the conservation authority.

  5. Interest on loans$14,647

    The extra money paid to lenders for money the town borrowed.

  6. Rent and money costs$7,611

    Renting equipment or space, bank fees, and some accounting costs.

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$752,814
Supplies and utilities$503,412
Outside companies$354,489
Money given to others$284,217
Interest on loans$14,647
Rent and money costs$7,611

Staff

People on the town's payroll at the end of each year, as reported to the Province.

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
2019420
2020730
2021720
2022720
2023720
2024720
2025900

How things have changed since 2019

Money in compared with day-to-day spending, each year. When the orange line is above the blue one, the town spent more than it took in and made up the difference from savings or loans. Grants for big projects arrive in some years and not others, which makes "money in" jump around.

Money in and day-to-day spending by year
$2.7M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$1.9M$1.2M
2020$1.7M$1.5M
2021$1.8M$1.5M
2022$2.0M$1.6M
2023$1.9M$1.7M
2024$1.9M$2.0M
2025$2.7M$1.9M

Town property tax

Up 41% since 2019. Prices rose 21%.

Town property tax by year
$894K
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$636K
2020$636K
2021$686K
2022$715K
2023$744K
2024$786K
2025$894K

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$742K
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$657K
2020$573K
2021$600K
2022$649K
2023$644K
2024$415K
2025$742K

What the town owes

Long-term loans plus short-term (temporary) loans at year end.

Debt by year
$321K
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$338K$0
2020$169K$0
2021$141K$0
2022$115K$0
2023$97,094$0
2024$280K$0
2025$321K$0

Building new things

Spending on new or rebuilt roads, pipes, buildings and equipment, compared with how fast existing ones wear out.

Capital spending and wear by year
$545K
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$350K$250K
2020$165K$241K
2021$341K$253K
2022$400K$273K
2023$231K$277K
2024$322K$294K
2025$545K$340K

Source: Ontario Financial Information Return (FIR), Schedules 10, 40, 51, 60, 70, 74 and 80 (archived copy). Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Retrieved 2026-10-01. Figures are what the municipality reported to the Province for each year, prepared on the same basis as its audited financial statements.