Council BooksHuron ShoresOntarioSign 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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Huron Shores'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 Huron Shores' 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: $7.7M

Where the town's money came from in 2025.

Huron Shores revenue by source, 2025
  • Property taxes$4.7M61%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$1.5M19%
  • Grants for specific projects$883K11%
  • Everything else$668K9%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$4,733,11261.1%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$1,460,10018.9%
Grants for specific projects$883,21711.4%
Everything else$667,9758.6%
Total$7,744,404100%

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.

Money out: $5.4M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2025, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $820K of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Huron Shores spending by service, 2025
  • Running the town office$1.5M28%
  • Police, fire and safety$826K15%
  • Roads and snow$1.4M27%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$289K5%
  • Health$590K11%
  • Social services$184K3%
  • Housing$284K5%
  • Parks, arena and library$186K3%
  • Planning and business$83,7322%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$1,503,23728.0%
Police, fire and safety$826,25815.4%
Roads and snow$1,431,61626.6%
Water, sewers and garbage$288,6155.4%
Health$590,35611.0%
Social services$184,4813.4%
Housing$283,7625.3%
Parks, arena and library$186,0703.5%
Planning and business$83,7321.6%
Total$5,378,127100%

Running the town office

$1.5M

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.

+60% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Senior management$1.4M

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  2. Council$62,793−35%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$1,440,444–
Council$62,793−34.9%

Roads and snow

$1.4M

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

+22% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Bridges and culverts$618K+285%

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  2. Gravel roads$474K−34%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  3. Paved roads$252K+57%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  4. Snow ploughing$72,105−29%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  5. Street lights$15,966

    Power and repairs for street lights.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Bridges and culverts$617,718+285.1%
Gravel roads$473,863−33.6%
Paved roads$251,964+57.3%
Snow ploughing$72,105−29.2%
Street lights$15,966–

Police, fire and safety

$826K

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

+13% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$429K+5%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$353K+24%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. Building permits$22,569

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. By-law and animal control$21,237

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$429,133+5.5%
Fire department$353,319+24.2%
Building permits$22,569–
By-law and animal control$21,237–

Health

$590K

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+30% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Health broken down
  1. Ambulance$470K+26%

    Paramedics and ambulances.

  2. Public health$108K+92%

    Health inspections and programs.

  3. Cemeteries$11,734

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Ambulance$470,212+26.0%
Public health$108,410+92.4%
Cemeteries$11,734–

Water, sewers and garbage

$289K

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

+23% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. The dump (landfill)$246K+32%

    Running the landfill, and saving up to close it safely one day.

  2. Recycling$43,110−7%

    Recycling and composting.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
The dump (landfill)$245,505+31.9%
Recycling$43,110−6.8%

Housing

$284K

Affordable and social housing.

+17% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Housing broken down
  1. Public housing$284K+17%

    Homes owned by government.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Public housing$283,762+16.9%

Parks, arena and library

$186K

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

+18% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$55,545+4%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Parks$54,553

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  3. Library$48,805+34%

    The public library.

  4. Museums$19,456

    Local museums.

  5. Programs$7,711−80%

    Classes, camps and activities.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$55,545+3.8%
Parks$54,553–
Library$48,805+34.4%
Museums$19,456–
Programs$7,711−80.3%

Social services

$184K

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

−3% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Social services broken down
  1. Income support$184K−3%

    Help for people with very low income.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Income support$184,481−3.2%

Planning and business

$83,732

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

+114% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$83,732+114%

    Deciding what can be built where.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$83,732+113.9%

What the money bought

The same 2025 spending, sorted by what it paid for rather than which service.

Spending by type
  1. Outside companies$1.8M

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

  2. Staff pay and benefits$1.7M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  3. Money given to others$1.1M

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

  4. Supplies and utilities$808K

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

  5. Interest on loans$16,238

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

  6. Rent and money costs$5,936

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Outside companies$1,798,164
Staff pay and benefits$1,683,966
Money given to others$1,065,769
Supplies and utilities$808,054
Interest on loans$16,238
Rent and money costs$5,936

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
20191475
20201471
20211570
20221594
20231392
20241398
202513107

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
$7.7M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$5.9M$4.2M
2020$5.8M$4.3M
2021$5.6M$5.6M
2022$6.1M$5.0M
2023$6.6M$5.3M
2024$7.1M$5.5M
2025$7.7M$5.4M

Town property tax

Up 47% since 2019. Prices rose 21%.

Town property tax by year
$4.7M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$3.2M
2020$3.5M
2021$3.5M
2022$3.8M
2023$4.1M
2024$4.4M
2025$4.7M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$7.0M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$4.0M
2020$4.5M
2021$5.0M
2022$5.9M
2023$6.3M
2024$6.9M
2025$7.0M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$202K
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$133K$0
2020$575K$0
2021$419K$0
2022$317K$0
2023$486K$0
2024$336K$0
2025$202K$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
$1.5M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$984K$634K
2020$1.2M$651K
2021$229K$672K
2022$662K$689K
2023$991K$802K
2024$584K$826K
2025$1.5M$820K

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.