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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Grimsby'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 Grimsby'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: $52.1M

Where the town's money came from in 2024.

Grimsby revenue by source, 2024
  • Property taxes$21.9M42%
  • Grants for specific projects$7.8M15%
  • Fees people pay$14.2M27%
  • Other$6.7M13%
  • Everything else$1.6M3%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$21,885,59242.0%
Grants for specific projects$7,798,81915.0%
Fees people pay$14,152,04327.2%
Other$6,654,57012.8%
Everything else$1,615,0293.1%
Total$52,106,053100%

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: $37.3M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2024, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $7.2M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Grimsby spending by service, 2024
  • Running the town office$9.1M24%
  • Police, fire and safety$3.7M10%
  • Roads and snow$4.8M13%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$10.6M29%
  • Health$201K1%
  • Social services$187K1%
  • Parks, arena and library$7.0M19%
  • Planning and business$1.8M5%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$9,052,48124.3%
Police, fire and safety$3,683,2439.9%
Roads and snow$4,792,32112.8%
Water, sewers and garbage$10,641,07028.5%
Health$201,1710.5%
Social services$187,0980.5%
Parks, arena and library$6,952,39518.6%
Planning and business$1,786,6114.8%
Total$37,296,390100%

Water, sewers and garbage

$10.6M

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

+36% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Sewer pipes$6.6M+65%

    The pipes that carry sewage away from homes.

  2. Water pipes$4.1M+7%

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Sewer pipes$6,578,130+65.1%
Water pipes$4,062,940+6.9%

Running the town office

$9.1M

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.

+158% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Office and administration$8.4M+162%

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

  2. Council$671K+116%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Office and administration$8,381,575+161.9%
Council$670,906+116.3%

Parks, arena and library

$7.0M

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

+40% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Programs$3.2M+334%

    Classes, camps and activities.

  2. Arena and buildings$1.9M+25%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  3. Library$1.0M+11%

    The public library.

  4. Arts and culture$403K+8%

    Festivals, arts and heritage.

  5. Museums$319K+11%

    Local museums.

  6. Parks$120K−90%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Programs$3,194,705+333.7%
Arena and buildings$1,886,612+25.3%
Library$1,029,352+10.6%
Arts and culture$403,238+8.4%
Museums$318,786+10.5%
Parks$119,702−89.5%

Roads and snow

$4.8M

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

+32% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Paved roads$4.2M+142%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  2. Street lights$332K+41%

    Power and repairs for street lights.

  3. Snow ploughing$157K−61%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  4. Roadsides and signs$95,233−91%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  5. Bridges and culverts$11,189−83%

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Paved roads$4,196,863+142.2%
Street lights$331,596+40.5%
Snow ploughing$157,440−61.2%
Roadsides and signs$95,233−91.3%
Bridges and culverts$11,189−83.2%

Police, fire and safety

$3.7M

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

+17% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Fire department$2.5M+14%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  2. Building permits$619K+11%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  3. By-law and animal control$470K+36%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  4. Emergency planning$80,580+80%

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Fire department$2,514,033+13.7%
Building permits$618,849+10.9%
By-law and animal control$469,781+35.6%
Emergency planning$80,580+79.6%

Planning and business

$1.8M

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

−34% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$1.5M+49%

    Deciding what can be built where.

  2. Business and tourism$300K−83%

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$1,486,755+49.2%
Business and tourism$299,856−82.6%

Health

$201K

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

−11% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Health broken down
  1. Cemeteries$201K−11%

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Cemeteries$201,171−10.7%

Social services

$187K

Help for people and families who need it, and child care.

−32% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Social services broken down
  1. Seniors$187K−32%

    Long-term care and seniors programs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Seniors$187,098−31.9%

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$18.4M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Outside companies$13.5M

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

  3. Supplies and utilities$4.2M

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

  4. Rent and money costs$911K

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

  5. Interest on loans$180K

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

  6. Money given to others$100K

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$18,436,708
Outside companies$13,497,996
Supplies and utilities$4,170,436
Rent and money costs$911,182
Interest on loans$180,068
Money given to others$100,000

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
20191145444
2020111347
2021121666
20221205080
20231312183
20241352179

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
$52.1M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$39M$26.3M
2020$38.6M$25.1M
2021$37.9M$26M
2022$41.1M$29.7M
2023$47.6M$31.3M
2024$52.1M$37.3M

Town property tax

Up 15% since 2019. Prices rose 18%.

Town property tax by year
$21.9M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$19.1M
2020$20.8M
2021$21.8M
2022$22.3M
2023$21.7M
2024$21.9M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$52.2M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$25.8M
2020$31.4M
2021$42M
2022$46.8M
2023$52.5M
2024$52.2M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$8.7M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$3.2M$0
2020$2.8M$0
2021$2.5M$0
2022$2.1M$0
2023$1.7M$0
2024$8.7M$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
$12.1M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$4.9M$6.4M
2020$7.7M$6.6M
2021$2.5M$6.7M
2022$5.3M$6.7M
2023$5.8M$6.8M
2024$12.1M$7.2M

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.