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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 East Garafraxa'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 East Garafraxa'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: $5.6M

Where the town's money came from in 2025.

East Garafraxa revenue by source, 2025
  • Property taxes$4.6M81%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$177K3%
  • Fees people pay$187K3%
  • Licences and rent$169K3%
  • Other$221K4%
  • Everything else$293K5%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$4,572,92181.4%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$176,8003.1%
Fees people pay$186,5793.3%
Licences and rent$168,6693.0%
Other$221,3973.9%
Everything else$292,5845.2%
Total$5,618,950100%

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.
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: $4.8M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2025, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $667K of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

East Garafraxa spending by service, 2025
  • Running the town office$1.2M25%
  • Police, fire and safety$926K19%
  • Roads and snow$1.9M41%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$71,5262%
  • Health$47,3431%
  • Parks, arena and library$257K5%
  • Planning and business$303K6%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$1,199,44625.2%
Police, fire and safety$925,75519.5%
Roads and snow$1,948,39841.0%
Water, sewers and garbage$71,5261.5%
Health$47,3431.0%
Parks, arena and library$256,5125.4%
Planning and business$302,6116.4%
Total$4,751,591100%

Roads and snow

$1.9M

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

+67% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Gravel roads$723K+45%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  2. Snow ploughing$578K+108%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  3. Roadsides and signs$378K

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  4. Paved roads$177K−49%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  5. Bridges and culverts$84,813+120%

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  6. Street lights$8,075

    Power and repairs for street lights.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Gravel roads$722,905+45.3%
Snow ploughing$577,512+108.3%
Roadsides and signs$377,841–
Paved roads$177,252−48.6%
Bridges and culverts$84,813+120.2%
Street lights$8,075–

Running the town office

$1.2M

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.

+56% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Senior management$1.1M+60%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  2. Council$78,060+11%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$1,121,386+60.3%
Council$78,060+10.9%

Police, fire and safety

$926K

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

+43% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Fire department$536K+73%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  2. Police (OPP contract)$320K+7%

    What the town pays for policing.

  3. Conservation authority$44,475+30%

    A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.

  4. By-law and animal control$23,536

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  5. Emergency planning$2,150

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Fire department$535,895+73.2%
Police (OPP contract)$319,699+6.9%
Conservation authority$44,475+29.6%
By-law and animal control$23,536–
Emergency planning$2,150–

Planning and business

$303K

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

+171% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$267K+173%

    Deciding what can be built where.

  2. Business and tourism$29,595

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

  3. New housing$6,187

    Helping new homes get built.

  4. Farms and forests$250

    Programs for farms and forests.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$266,579+173.3%
Business and tourism$29,595–
New housing$6,187–
Farms and forests$250–

Parks, arena and library

$257K

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

+68% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$138K+185%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Library$78,297+61%

    The public library.

  3. Parks$39,132−30%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  4. Programs$1,342

    Classes, camps and activities.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$137,741+185.2%
Library$78,297+61.1%
Parks$39,132−30.1%
Programs$1,342–

Water, sewers and garbage

$71,526

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

+189% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Water treatment$35,763

    Making lake or well water safe to drink.

  2. Water pipes$35,763

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Water treatment$35,763–
Water pipes$35,763–

Health

$47,343

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+399% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Health broken down
  1. Public health$32,925

    Health inspections and programs.

  2. Cemeteries$14,418

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Public health$32,925–
Cemeteries$14,418–

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$1.9M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Outside companies$1.5M

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

  3. Supplies and utilities$974K

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

  4. Money given to others$281K

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

  5. Rent and money costs$171K

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$1,854,468
Outside companies$1,472,001
Supplies and utilities$973,940
Money given to others$280,622
Rent and money costs$170,560

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
20191120
20201220
2021912
20221102
20231102
20241202
20251302

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
$5.6M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$5.5M$2.9M
2020$3.7M$3.0M
2021$3.5M$3.1M
2022$4.7M$3.7M
2023$4.8M$4.3M
2024$5.2M$4.4M
2025$5.6M$4.8M

Town property tax

Up 81% since 2019. Prices rose 21%.

Town property tax by year
$4.6M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$2.5M
2020$2.7M
2021$2.7M
2022$3.1M
2023$3.6M
2024$4.0M
2025$4.6M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$3.2M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$2.0M
2020$1.7M
2021$1.6M
2022$2.0M
2023$2.1M
2024$3.1M
2025$3.2M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$0
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$0$0
2020$0$0
2021$0$0
2022$0$0
2023$0$0
2024$0$0
2025$0$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
$550K
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$1.9M$534K
2020$1.1M$539K
2021$477K$574K
2022$560K$611K
2023$1.8M$642K
2024$126K$670K
2025$550K$667K

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.