Council BooksEast Zorra - TavistockOntarioSign 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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 East Zorra - Tavistock'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 East Zorra - Tavistock'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: $11.2M

Where the town's money came from in 2024.

East Zorra - Tavistock revenue by source, 2024
  • Property taxes$7.9M71%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$837K8%
  • Grants for specific projects$415K4%
  • Other towns and the county$488K4%
  • Licences and rent$781K7%
  • Other$509K5%
  • Everything else$135K1%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$7,903,92271.4%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$837,3137.6%
Grants for specific projects$415,4983.8%
Other towns and the county$487,8694.4%
Licences and rent$780,7937.1%
Other$508,9304.6%
Everything else$134,5601.2%
Total$11,068,885100%

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.
Licences and rent
Dog tags, licences, and rent from town-owned property.
Other
Interest earned, donations, sales of land and equipment.

Money out: $8.7M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2024, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $1.7M 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 Zorra - Tavistock spending by service, 2024
  • Running the town office$1.8M20%
  • Police, fire and safety$2.5M29%
  • Roads and snow$2.5M29%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$51,5941%
  • Health$4,0530%
  • Parks, arena and library$1.2M14%
  • Planning and business$652K7%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$1,771,00320.2%
Police, fire and safety$2,520,15928.8%
Roads and snow$2,549,66429.1%
Water, sewers and garbage$51,5940.6%
Health$4,0530.0%
Parks, arena and library$1,199,19213.7%
Planning and business$652,3217.5%
Total$8,747,986100%

Roads and snow

$2.5M

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

+61% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Gravel roads$1.1M+152%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  2. Paved roads$606K+158%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  3. Roadsides and signs$295K−48%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  4. Snow ploughing$228K−10%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  5. Bridges and culverts$210K

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  6. Accessible transit$73,232

    Rides for people who cannot use regular buses.

  7. Street lights$63,964+24%

    Power and repairs for street lights.

  8. Sidewalk snow$21,002−38%

    Clearing sidewalks and parking lots.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Gravel roads$1,052,628+152.1%
Paved roads$605,661+157.7%
Roadsides and signs$295,349−48.0%
Snow ploughing$227,509−10.4%
Bridges and culverts$210,319–
Accessible transit$73,232–
Street lights$63,964+24.3%
Sidewalk snow$21,002−37.6%

Police, fire and safety

$2.5M

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

+30% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$1.1M+16%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$909K+32%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. Building permits$435K+89%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. By-law and animal control$41,121+42%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  5. Emergency planning$6,720

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$1,127,485+15.8%
Fire department$909,437+32.0%
Building permits$435,396+89.0%
By-law and animal control$41,121+41.9%
Emergency planning$6,720–

Running the town office

$1.8M

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.

+68% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Senior management$1.6M+75%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  2. Council$168K+26%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$1,603,292+74.6%
Council$167,711+25.8%

Parks, arena and library

$1.2M

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

+79% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$896K+61%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Parks$303K+169%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$895,851+60.7%
Parks$303,341+169.3%

Planning and business

$652K

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

+391% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Business and tourism$307K

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

  2. Farms and forests$214K+147%

    Programs for farms and forests.

  3. Planning and zoning$130K+222%

    Deciding what can be built where.

  4. Farm drainage loans$1,092

    Loans to farmers for field drainage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Business and tourism$307,452–
Farms and forests$213,755+147.3%
Planning and zoning$130,022+222.1%
Farm drainage loans$1,092–

Water, sewers and garbage

$51,594

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

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Other environment$29,598

    Other environmental costs.

  2. Rural drainage$21,996

    Ditches and drains in the countryside.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Other environment$29,598–
Rural drainage$21,996–

Health

$4,053

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+93% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Health broken down
  1. Cemeteries$4,053

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Cemeteries$4,053–

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$4.3M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Supplies and utilities$2.5M

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

  3. Outside companies$1.9M

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

  4. Rent and money costs$27,076

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

  5. Interest on loans$22,375

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

  6. Money given to others$4,053

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$4,274,419
Supplies and utilities$2,535,873
Outside companies$1,884,190
Rent and money costs$27,076
Interest on loans$22,375
Money given to others$4,053

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
201917724
202019724
202123864
202230988
2023288710
2024349511

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
$11.2M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$10.2M$5.4M
2020$10.7M$5.6M
2021$9.5M$6.6M
2022$11.5M$7.8M
2023$11.4M$8.4M
2024$11.2M$8.7M

Town property tax

Up 35% since 2019. Prices rose 18%.

Town property tax by year
$7.9M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$5.9M
2020$6.3M
2021$6.5M
2022$7.0M
2023$7.3M
2024$7.9M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$8.8M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$8.2M
2020$11.2M
2021$13.4M
2022$13M
2023$8.1M
2024$8.8M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$435K
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$1.4M$0
2020$1.2M$0
2021$979K$0
2022$773K$0
2023$605K$0
2024$435K$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
$3.5M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$1.2M$1.2M
2020$2.5M$1.2M
2021$854K$1.3M
2022$2.5M$1.4M
2023$8.3M$1.4M
2024$3.5M$1.7M

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.