Your town, in plain words
A clear, checkable guide to Grimsby's budget, taxes and council decisions. A town in Niagara Region with a mayor and eight councillors, two for each of four wards. Every figure links back to the public record.
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Questions worth asking
Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.
+158%running the town office, 2019 to 2024
Grimsby spent $3.5M on running the town office in 2019 and $9.1M in 2024. Prices only went up about 18% in that time. Only 0 of 40 similar towns had faster growth here.
Found automatically from the town's financial reports · 3 sources
$2,085,780wastewater division deficit in 2024, per the Town's report on its statements
Wastewater is the sewage service, paid partly by taxes and partly by bills based on water use. The Town's report on the 2024 statements says the wastewater division ended 2024 with a deficit of $2,085,780, which is more than the Town's whole year-end deficit of $1,544,290 because other parts of the budget finished ahead. Wastewater reserves fell from $15,949,483 to $15,185,010 over the year. The Town has since moved the whole cost onto water bills. Its budget books say the Region of Niagara's charges explain 90% of the 2025 increase and 83% of the 2026 increase.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$7,369,926borrowed in 2024 for the hospital contribution, at 4.39% to 2044
The Town committed $9,300,926 to the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital Foundation's building campaign. It collected $1,931,000 through the tax levy and borrowed the rest, $7,369,926, at 4.39% until 2044. Its long-term debt went from $1,696,130 to $8,656,871 in one year. In the same year its portfolio investments (savings held in bonds and similar) rose from $37,465,951 to $58,281,160 and its cash fell from $43,412,014 to $23,059,486. The Town calls the hospital and the Peach King Centre a "historic commitment" and puts the yearly debt payments in the tax levy.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 5 sources
$7,647,530annual surplus in the 2024 statements, against a year-end operating deficit of $1,544,290 on the budget basis
A surplus is what is left when a year's revenue is more than its spending. The audited statements for 2024 show an annual surplus of $7,647,530, against a budgeted deficit of $1,716,404. The Town's own report to the Finance Committee says its year-end result, counted the way the budget is counted, was a deficit of $1,544,290. The Town explains the gap: the statements follow public-sector accounting rules (which count grants for building projects and the value of assets handed to the Town as revenue), while the budget is prepared on a cash basis.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
$1.6 millionowed to the Region after a meter calibration error, per the Town's report
The Town's report on its 2024 statements says it owed the Region of Niagara $1.6 million for water and wastewater, after the Region found a calibration error in its meter readings that had under-billed the Town "over the past few years." Accounts payable (bills the Town owes) rose from $8,630,433 to $10,679,975 in 2024. The Town has explained what happened. What the documents we read do not show is the years covered, who checked the new bill, or how the cost was paid for.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 2 sources
4.70%minimum Town levy increase for 2026, after estimated growth; 3.99% projected for 2027
The Town's own levy (its share of the property tax bill) rose by a minimum of 5.88% for 2025 and 4.70% for 2026, after counting growth in the number of properties. The multi-year projection shows 3.99% for 2027 and 3.34% for 2028, before any new spending. The Town says 4.7% is $70 a year for an average home assessed at $442,000, and 6.57% overall once Regional and school taxes are counted. The Town explains why: it says its asset management plans show funding gaps, and it adds money for reserves each year (1.00% of the levy in each year of the 2026 projection).
Found by reading the town's own documents · 4 sources
$48,168.47training, conferences and meeting expenses for council members in 2025
Council members' pay and expenses are published every year under section 284 of the Municipal Act. For 2025 the column "Training, Conferences, & Meeting Expenses" totals $48,168.47. Three members' amounts are $9,079.04 (the first line, Jordan, Jeffrey), $8,984.91 (Baradziej, Jacob) and $8,165.71 (Freake, Reginald), while one member's is $21.38 (Davoli, Delight). In 2024 the same kinds of costs were printed in three columns (conferences $22,611.84, seminars $2,591.45, meeting expense $939.19), which we added to $26,142.48 (worked out by us). The Council Expense Policy was amended on August 11, 2025.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
Oct. 7, 2024date of the auditor's report on the 2023 statements; the 2024 report is dated August 11, 2025
A municipality's audited statements show whether its books are in order. The 2023 statements carry a clean opinion ("present fairly") dated October 7, 2024. For 2024 the Town changed auditors: KPMG LLP signed a clean opinion on August 11, 2025, and says the 2023 figures were audited by another auditor. KPMG's report to the Finance Committee found no uncorrected misstatements and no significant control deficiencies. On the Town's financial statements page on October 5, 2026 we found statements through 2024 but none for 2025.
Found by reading the town's own documents · 3 sources
2024 tax year · Grimsby, Ontario
Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what Grimsby's share pays for.
Ontario still uses property values from January 1, 2016 for tax, so your assessed value is probably well below what your home would sell for today.
It is on your property assessment notice from MPAC, and on your tax bill. We filled in the typical value in Grimsby.
a year in property tax, at 2024 rates
Grimsby council sets only its own share. County or region sets its share, the Province sets the school rate.
An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits Grimsby's share by what each service cost in 2024 after its own fees and grants (for example, water bills pay for much of a water system). Real bills also depend on your property class, local charges and any rebates.
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Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.
We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.
Towns are only compared with places of a similar size and kind, from the same yearly reports.
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