Council BooksGuelphOntarioSign 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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Guelph'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.
Ontario / GuelphUpdated Oct 5, 2026

Your city, in plain words

How Guelph uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to Guelph's budget, taxes and council decisions. A city in southern Ontario with a mayor and 12 councillors, two from each of six wards. Every figure links back to the public record.

Property tax raised in 2025$412Mall property in Guelph85% City15% SchoolsSee where your tax bill goes →
City spending, 2025$559MAbout $9,275 per household, up 5.4% from 2024.See the money →
Property tax change+7.3%Guelph's own property tax came to $356M in 2025, against $331M in 2024.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday city.

Explore every service →
Police, fire and safety$125M · 22%
Roads and snow$83.7M · 15%
Social services$69.4M · 12%
Water, sewers and garbage$66.9M · 12%
Show all 9 servicesShow fewer
Running the city office$58.7M · 10%
Parks, arena and library$56.9M · 10%
Health$47.9M · 9%
Housing$40.7M · 7%
Planning and business$10.7M · 2%

Day-to-day spending in 2025, from Guelph's report to the Province.

Where it comes fromWho pays for Guelph's services?Property taxes48%Fees people pay20%Grants for specific projects19%Other11%Smaller sources3%$744M came in during 2025.See the money →

Questions worth asking

A closer look at the numbers.

Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.

All 8 questions
Worth askingMoney health

Guelph’s “rainy day” accounts for tax-funded costs are at 36% of target. How will they be rebuilt?

36%of target held by the tax-funded contingency reserves at the end of 2025 (50% a year earlier)

A reserve is money a city sets aside for later. The City keeps contingency reserves (rainy day accounts) so it can pay for a surprise, or spread a big tax increase over several years. At the end of 2025, the tax-funded ones held 36 per cent of the target the City set for itself, down from 50 per cent a year earlier. The City says there was no surplus in 2025 to refill them, and that a small deficit was paid out of them instead. Council has already said it wants them back to at least 75 per cent of target.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources

Worth askingMoney health

Guelph collected $12.6 million in development charges in 2025 against $53.8 million forecast. Who pays for the gap?

$12.6 milliondevelopment charges collected in 2025, against $53.8 million forecast

Development charges are fees builders pay when they build, to help pay for roads, pipes, libraries and other things growth needs. The City forecast $53.8 million for 2025 from its own study and collected $12.6 million. Taken together, the City’s 17 development charge funds ended 2025 at negative $12.3 million once planned spending is counted, down from a positive $38.7 million. The City covers some of the gap by lending between its own reserve funds, and in the first three months of 2026 it collected $69 thousand.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources

Worth askingMoney health

Guelph’s debt nearly doubled in 2025 and is at the edge of a credit-rating threshold. How much more will it borrow?

30.1%estimated direct debt as a share of operating revenue, against the 30% line S&P uses for its lowest-risk band (City limit: 55%)

The City issued its first new debt since 2021 in 2025: $58.0 million in June and $34.0 million in December, to pay for the South End Community Centre, the new Baker District library and parkade, and nearby servicing. Debt on the City’s statements rose from $107,370 thousand to $191,244 thousand. A staff report estimates debt at 30.1 per cent of operating revenue; the credit rater S&P treats below 30 per cent as the lowest-risk band. Both the City and S&P say more borrowing is coming. The City still holds an AAA rating.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 6 sources

Worth askingSpending level

Guelph carried $456.9 million of unspent capital budget into 2026 and spent $25.7 million of it in the first quarter. Can it be built?

$456.9 millionunspent capital budget carried into 2026 before commitments

The capital budget pays for buildings, roads, pipes and vehicles. In 2025 the City spent $207.9 million, and 76.7 per cent of its capital budget was spent or committed, short of its 80 per cent target by $42.5 million. It carried $456.9 million into 2026 and added $371.2 million, for $828.1 million. By March 31, 2026 it had spent $25.7 million of $810.4 million available. The City says the big buildings are within budget and that purchasing took too long.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources

Show 4 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingRising costs

Building permits and parking ran 42.1% and 21.9% over their budgets in 2025. Are those services paying their own way?

$2,316,614Building Services deficit in 2025, 42.1% of its budget; Parking Services $1,009,017

Some city services are paid by the fees they charge, not by property tax. In 2025, Building Services finished $2,316,614 short (42.1 per cent of its budget) and Parking Services $1,009,017 short (21.9 per cent). Building permit revenue was $3.2 million lower than budgeted because fewer homes are being started. Parking’s own rainy-day reserve held only $70,760, so staff proposed paying that deficit from a reserve meant for parking capital projects, which is not what policy says. A fee study was due to go to council in June 2026.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources

Good to knowHow decisions are made

The Mayor asked for no more than 2.5% for City services in 2026. It ended at 3.36%. What was pushed into 2027?

3.36%confirmed 2026 City services tax increase, against the Mayor’s 2.5% direction and 2.85% proposal

Guelph uses a four-year budget (2024 to 2027) that is confirmed each year. In April 2025 the Mayor directed staff to aim for a City services tax increase of not more than 2.5 per cent. His own proposal on November 13, 2025 was 2.85 per cent. Council then approved five amendments on November 26, 2025, which took it to 3.36 per cent. On December 16, 2025 the Mayor used strong-mayor powers to amend the budget again, and some of that cost lands in 2027. The City publishes each step, so this is context, not a gap.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 5 sources

Good to knowOpenness

About one in three Guelph council meetings in 2025 was closed to the public. Does the public hear what was decided?

32 of 91council and committee meetings held in closed session in 2025 (45 of 115 in 2024)

Councils may meet in private only for reasons listed in the Municipal Act, such as land deals, legal advice or hiring. In 2025 Guelph’s council and its committees held 91 meetings and 32 were closed, down from 45 closed of 115 in 2024. The City says the drop came mainly from fewer closed meetings of the committee that recruited and reviewed the Chief Administrative Officer (14 in 2024, 2 in 2025). We could not read the minutes, so we do not know what was reported back in public.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 2 sources

Where your tax bill goes

A property tax bill in Guelph pays for the city and schools. Only part of it goes to the city, and that part is what Guelph council controls.

Tax bill split: Guelph 85%, Schools 15%
$412Mraised in 2025
  • Guelph85%
  • Schools15%

  • Every fact, sourced

    Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.

  • No accusations

    We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.

  • Compared fairly

    Places are only compared with places of a similar size and kind, from the same yearly reports.

Council meetings are open to the public, and councillors answer to you. How to reach Guelph's council · Council Books is free and paid for by readers: support this work.