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Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Older reportDetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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
An older report. We have no 2024 report for Cobourg in the Province's latest release, so these pages use its 2023 report. It may simply be filed late.
Read by hand. We read Cobourg'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 · 2023

How Cobourg'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 2023, the latest year the town has reported to the Province.

Why 2023 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: $64.9M

Where the town's money came from in 2023.

Cobourg revenue by source, 2023
  • Property taxes$28.7M44%
  • Fees people pay$23.6M37%
  • Licences and rent$5.1M8%
  • Other$3.6M6%
  • Everything else$3.6M6%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$28,707,42744.5%
Fees people pay$23,602,15736.5%
Licences and rent$5,081,5687.9%
Other$3,593,2445.6%
Everything else$3,590,8635.6%
Total$64,575,259100%

What each source means

Property taxes
What home and business owners pay each year, based on what their property is worth.
Fees people pay
Water and sewer bills, dump fees, arena rentals, permits and similar charges.
Licences and rent
Dog tags, licences, and rent from town-owned property.
Other
Interest earned, donations, sales of land and equipment.

Money out: $51M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2023, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $8.4M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Cobourg spending by service, 2023
  • Running the town office$5.1M10%
  • Police, fire and safety$20.3M41%
  • Roads and snow$5.6M11%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$7.1M14%
  • Health$15,4230%
  • Parks, arena and library$9.6M19%
  • Planning and business$1.7M3%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$5,066,27910.3%
Police, fire and safety$20,341,44341.2%
Roads and snow$5,550,97911.2%
Water, sewers and garbage$7,070,65214.3%
Health$15,4230.0%
Parks, arena and library$9,583,00019.4%
Planning and business$1,720,0003.5%
Total$49,347,776100%

Police, fire and safety

$20.3M

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

+38% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$9.7M+5%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$4.2M+43%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. Other safety$3.1M

    Other safety costs.

  4. Court security$1.7M−6%

    Security at the courthouse.

  5. By-law and animal control$1.4M+240%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  6. Conservation authority$251K+1%

    A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.

  7. Emergency planning$15,122−93%

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$9,702,731+5.3%
Fire department$4,226,758+43.2%
Other safety$3,089,454–
Court security$1,655,199−5.6%
By-law and animal control$1,400,826+239.6%
Conservation authority$251,353+1.0%
Emergency planning$15,122−92.7%

Parks, arena and library

$9.6M

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

+11% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$3.6M+1%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Parks$3.0M+25%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  3. Library$1.4M+8%

    The public library.

  4. Golf, marina, ski hill$746K+29%

    Town-owned golf course, marina or ski hill.

  5. Arts and culture$438K−8%

    Festivals, arts and heritage.

  6. Programs$424K+34%

    Classes, camps and activities.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$3,568,914+0.6%
Parks$2,977,335+25.3%
Library$1,427,840+7.6%
Golf, marina, ski hill$746,353+29.0%
Arts and culture$438,317−8.4%
Programs$424,241+33.6%

Water, sewers and garbage

$7.1M

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

+9% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Water pipes$3.3M+16%

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

  2. Sewage treatment$3.1M0%

    Cleaning sewage before it goes back into nature (Tweed uses lagoons).

  3. Sewer pipes$667K+21%

    The pipes that carry sewage away from homes.

  4. Water treatment$70,432

    Making lake or well water safe to drink.

  5. Storm drains$1,641

    Drains that carry away rain water.

  6. The dump (landfill)$1,298

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Water pipes$3,256,805+16.4%
Sewage treatment$3,073,762−0.1%
Sewer pipes$666,714+21.1%
Water treatment$70,432–
Storm drains$1,641–
The dump (landfill)$1,298–

Roads and snow

$5.6M

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

+16% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Roadsides and signs$3.0M+28%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  2. Public transit$1.0M+9%

    Buses.

  3. Snow ploughing$623K+1%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  4. Parking$420K+50%

    Town parking lots and meters.

  5. Paved roads$254K−30%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  6. Street lights$216K−7%

    Power and repairs for street lights.

  7. Bridges and culverts$2,269

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Roadsides and signs$3,009,729+28.4%
Public transit$1,026,548+9.2%
Snow ploughing$622,515+1.0%
Parking$419,679+50.1%
Paved roads$254,262−30.0%
Street lights$215,977−7.1%
Bridges and culverts$2,269–

Running the town office

$5.1M

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.

+24% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Office and administration$4.3M+54%

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

  2. Council$384K−48%

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

  3. Senior management$379K−32%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Office and administration$4,303,299+53.6%
Council$383,730−48.2%
Senior management$379,250−32.2%

Planning and business

$1.7M

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

−44% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Business and tourism$1.1M+11%

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

  2. Planning and zoning$648K+35%

    Deciding what can be built where.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Business and tourism$1,072,265+11.4%
Planning and zoning$647,735+34.8%

Health

$15,423

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

Health broken down
  1. Public health$15,423

    Health inspections and programs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Public health$15,423–

What the money bought

The same 2023 spending, sorted by what it paid for rather than which service.

Spending by type
  1. Staff pay and benefits$28.9M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Supplies and utilities$12.1M

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

  3. Outside companies$6.5M

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

  4. Money given to others$3.4M

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

  5. Rent and money costs$122K

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

  6. Interest on loans$90,084

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$28,931,104
Supplies and utilities$12,060,647
Outside companies$6,462,297
Money given to others$3,383,214
Rent and money costs$121,713
Interest on loans$90,084

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
201916610780
202016910436
202117411439
20221799628
20231947233

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
$64.9M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$55M$42M
2020$60.7M$41M
2021$57.4M$42.6M
2022$64.7M$46.9M
2023$64.9M$51M

Town property tax

Up 20% since 2019. Prices rose 16%.

Town property tax by year
$28.7M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$24M
2020$24.6M
2021$25.4M
2022$26.7M
2023$28.7M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$8.7M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$9.4M
2020$10.4M
2021$11.7M
2022$11.6M
2023$8.7M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$3.4M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$6.9M$0
2020$5.6M$0
2021$5.6M$0
2022$4.0M$0
2023$3.4M$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
$21.8M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$13.3M$7.6M
2020$11.1M$7.8M
2021$5.5M$8.2M
2022$8.9M$8.1M
2023$21.8M$8.4M

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.