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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Chisholm'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 · 2024

How Chisholm'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 2024, the latest year the town has reported to the Province.

Why 2024 and not this year? A budget is a plan. These figures are what actually happened, checked by an auditor and reported to Ontario. The 2025 report is not out yet.

Money in: $3.2M

Where the town's money came from in 2024.

Chisholm revenue by source, 2024
  • Property taxes$1.9M61%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$507K16%
  • Grants for specific projects$445K14%
  • Other$148K5%
  • Everything else$119K4%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$1,940,42261.4%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$507,10016.1%
Grants for specific projects$444,94614.1%
Other$147,5404.7%
Everything else$118,9653.8%
Total$3,158,973100%

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
Interest earned, donations, sales of land and equipment.

Money out: $2.5M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2024, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $644K of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Chisholm spending by service, 2024
  • Running the town office$526K21%
  • Police, fire and safety$339K13%
  • Roads and snow$987K39%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$137K5%
  • Health$50,6652%
  • Social services$422K17%
  • Parks, arena and library$44,3622%
  • Planning and business$39,7882%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$525,64820.6%
Police, fire and safety$339,36213.3%
Roads and snow$987,37738.8%
Water, sewers and garbage$137,2305.4%
Health$50,6652.0%
Social services$422,11616.6%
Parks, arena and library$44,3621.7%
Planning and business$39,7881.6%
Total$2,546,548100%

Roads and snow

$987K

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

+26% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Gravel roads$528K−18%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  2. Paved roads$385K+454%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  3. Roadsides and signs$73,965

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Gravel roads$528,479−18.3%
Paved roads$384,933+454.4%
Roadsides and signs$73,965–

Running the town office

$526K

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.

+15% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Office and administration$453K+8%

    Office staff, finance, IT, insurance, legal and the town hall. Towns share this cost out across other services.

  2. Council$46,803+25%

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

  3. Senior management$25,747

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Office and administration$453,098+7.9%
Council$46,803+25.2%
Senior management$25,747–

Social services

$422K

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

+42% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Social services broken down
  1. Income support$307K+24%

    Help for people with very low income.

  2. Seniors$115K+131%

    Long-term care and seniors programs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Income support$307,368+24.0%
Seniors$114,748+130.6%

Police, fire and safety

$339K

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

+4% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$172K−9%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$117K+28%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. Building permits$26,345

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. Conservation authority$14,383

    A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.

  5. By-law and animal control$9,705

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$171,654−9.2%
Fire department$117,275+27.6%
Building permits$26,345–
Conservation authority$14,383–
By-law and animal control$9,705–

Water, sewers and garbage

$137K

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

+9% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. The dump (landfill)$99,295−21%

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

  2. Recycling$37,935

    Recycling and composting.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
The dump (landfill)$99,295−21.5%
Recycling$37,935–

Health

$50,665

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+12% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Health broken down
  1. Public health$42,258−2%

    Health inspections and programs.

  2. Cemeteries$8,407

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Public health$42,258−2.2%
Cemeteries$8,407–

Parks, arena and library

$44,362

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

+16% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Library$29,879−5%

    The public library.

  2. Parks$13,187

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  3. Programs$1,296

    Classes, camps and activities.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Library$29,879−5.2%
Parks$13,187–
Programs$1,296–

Planning and business

$39,788

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

−16% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$39,788−16%

    Deciding what can be built where.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$39,788−15.6%

What the money bought

The same 2024 spending, sorted by what it paid for rather than which service.

Spending by type
  1. Supplies and utilities$829K

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

  2. Staff pay and benefits$809K

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  3. Money given to others$480K

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

  4. Outside companies$382K

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

  5. Interest on loans$45,177

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Supplies and utilities$829,434
Staff pay and benefits$809,371
Money given to others$480,363
Outside companies$382,203
Interest on loans$45,177

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
2019760
2020830
2021830
2022830
2023830
2024830

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
$3.2M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$3.5M$2.1M
2020$3.3M$2.3M
2021$4.5M$2.2M
2022$2.7M$2.2M
2023$3.3M$2.4M
2024$3.2M$2.5M

Town property tax

Up 18% since 2019. Prices rose 18%.

Town property tax by year
$1.9M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$1.6M
2020$1.7M
2021$1.7M
2022$1.7M
2023$1.8M
2024$1.9M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$650K
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$446K
2020$515K
2021$606K
2022$677K
2023$567K
2024$650K

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$2.0M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$484K$0
2020$401K$0
2021$333K$0
2022$338K$0
2023$904K$0
2024$2.0M$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
$299K
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$1.1M$527K
2020$857K$476K
2021$2.3M$617K
2022$125K$616K
2023$1.9M$613K
2024$299K$644K

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.