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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Collingwood'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 Collingwood'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: $109M

Where the town's money came from in 2024.

Collingwood revenue by source, 2024
  • Property taxes$42.1M43%
  • Grants for specific projects$5.2M5%
  • Fees people pay$20.6M21%
  • Other$24.9M26%
  • Everything else$4.2M4%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$42,106,13943.4%
Grants for specific projects$5,187,9375.3%
Fees people pay$20,629,39221.3%
Other$24,934,99325.7%
Everything else$4,162,1234.3%
Total$97,020,584100%

What each source means

Property taxes
What home and business owners pay each year, based on what their property is worth.
Grants for specific projects
Money from Ontario or Canada that must be spent on a certain thing, often a road or building.
Fees people pay
Water and sewer bills, dump fees, arena rentals, permits and similar charges.
Other
Interest earned, donations, sales of land and equipment.

Money out: $56.1M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2024, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $13.4M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Collingwood spending by service, 2024
  • Running the town office$9.5M17%
  • Police, fire and safety$13.7M24%
  • Roads and snow$8.0M14%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$10.9M19%
  • Housing$661K1%
  • Parks, arena and library$10.2M18%
  • Planning and business$3.2M6%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$9,540,52017.0%
Police, fire and safety$13,696,42424.4%
Roads and snow$8,027,29714.3%
Water, sewers and garbage$10,860,49119.3%
Housing$661,4091.2%
Parks, arena and library$10,168,54018.1%
Planning and business$3,175,5405.7%
Total$56,130,221100%

Police, fire and safety

$13.7M

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

+21% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Fire department$5.7M+20%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  2. Police (OPP contract)$5.6M+9%

    What the town pays for policing.

  3. Building permits$1.1M+57%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. By-law and animal control$1.0M+161%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  5. Conservation authority$344K−14%

    A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Fire department$5,658,766+20.0%
Police (OPP contract)$5,593,900+9.4%
Building permits$1,076,530+57.3%
By-law and animal control$1,023,483+161.2%
Conservation authority$343,745−14.4%

Water, sewers and garbage

$10.9M

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

+20% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Sewage treatment$4.6M+48%

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

  2. Water treatment$3.5M+8%

    Making lake or well water safe to drink.

  3. Water pipes$1.6M+36%

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

  4. Sewer pipes$1.3M−21%

    The pipes that carry sewage away from homes.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Sewage treatment$4,550,559+48.3%
Water treatment$3,494,894+7.9%
Water pipes$1,557,765+35.6%
Sewer pipes$1,257,273−21.4%

Parks, arena and library

$10.2M

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

+27% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Parks$3.0M+37%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  2. Arena and buildings$2.9M+32%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  3. Library$2.1M+31%

    The public library.

  4. Arts and culture$992K+3%

    Festivals, arts and heritage.

  5. Programs$725K+4%

    Classes, camps and activities.

  6. Museums$463K+25%

    Local museums.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Parks$3,021,599+37.0%
Arena and buildings$2,869,012+32.3%
Library$2,098,488+30.8%
Arts and culture$991,924+3.4%
Programs$724,676+4.2%
Museums$462,841+24.9%

Running the town office

$9.5M

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.

−16% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Senior management$7.3M−28%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  2. Office and administration$1.6M+101%

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

  3. Council$716K+37%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$7,259,215−28.3%
Office and administration$1,564,841+101.1%
Council$716,464+37.1%

Roads and snow

$8.0M

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

+16% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Roadsides and signs$2.1M+63%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  2. Public transit$1.6M+8%

    Buses.

  3. Paved roads$1.3M+10%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  4. Snow ploughing$1.1M−30%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  5. Parking$537K+73%

    Town parking lots and meters.

  6. Other transportation$450K

    Other transportation costs.

  7. Sidewalk snow$418K−21%

    Clearing sidewalks and parking lots.

  8. Accessible transit$283K+101%

    Rides for people who cannot use regular buses.

  9. Street lights$212K−13%

    Power and repairs for street lights.

  10. Gravel roads$98,258

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  11. Bridges and culverts$6,513−74%

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Roadsides and signs$2,054,974+63.0%
Public transit$1,593,511+8.2%
Paved roads$1,266,270+9.9%
Snow ploughing$1,106,692−30.3%
Parking$537,334+73.1%
Other transportation$450,393–
Sidewalk snow$417,932−20.7%
Accessible transit$283,462+100.5%
Street lights$211,958−12.6%
Gravel roads$98,258–
Bridges and culverts$6,513−74.0%

Planning and business

$3.2M

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

+29% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Business and tourism$1.7M+254%

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

  2. Planning and zoning$1.4M+66%

    Deciding what can be built where.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Business and tourism$1,731,554+254.2%
Planning and zoning$1,443,986+65.6%

Housing

$661K

Affordable and social housing.

+160% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Housing broken down
  1. Rent help$661K+160%

    Help paying rent.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Rent help$661,409+159.7%

What the money bought

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

Spending by type
  1. Staff pay and benefits$27.6M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Supplies and utilities$16.6M

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

  3. Outside companies$9.4M

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

  4. Rent and money costs$1.9M

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

  5. Interest on loans$601K

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$27,639,603
Supplies and utilities$16,598,045
Outside companies$9,403,685
Rent and money costs$1,887,417
Interest on loans$601,471

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
20191738239
20201778239
20211828340
20222028850
20232066842
20242148045

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
$109M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$64.4M$49.5M
2020$68.3M$45.5M
2021$69.8M$46.8M
2022$80.2M$50.1M
2023$76.1M$52.7M
2024$109M$56.1M

Town property tax

Up 22% since 2019. Prices rose 18%.

Town property tax by year
$42.1M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$34.4M
2020$35.9M
2021$36.7M
2022$38.7M
2023$40.3M
2024$42.1M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$72.8M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$64.8M
2020$63.1M
2021$66.5M
2022$72.2M
2023$70.8M
2024$72.8M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$12.1M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$28.4M$0
2020$24.2M$0
2021$21.2M$0
2022$18.1M$0
2023$15M$0
2024$12.1M$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
$23.1M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$9.1M$10.8M
2020$15.8M$10.6M
2021$11.3M$11.4M
2022$10.4M$11.9M
2023$25.6M$12.7M
2024$23.1M$13.4M

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.