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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Kearney'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 Kearney'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: $6.1M

Where the town's money came from in 2024.

Kearney revenue by source, 2024
  • Property taxes$4.1M67%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$721K12%
  • Grants for specific projects$959K16%
  • Everything else$296K5%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$4,080,31767.4%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$720,60011.9%
Grants for specific projects$959,32415.8%
Everything else$296,4074.9%
Total$6,056,648100%

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: $4.2M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2024, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $927K of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Kearney spending by service, 2024
  • Running the town office$982K23%
  • Police, fire and safety$966K23%
  • Roads and snow$953K23%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$417K10%
  • Health$170K4%
  • Social services$330K8%
  • Parks, arena and library$346K8%
  • Planning and business$19,9360%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$982,31223.5%
Police, fire and safety$966,47523.1%
Roads and snow$953,43922.8%
Water, sewers and garbage$416,84210.0%
Health$170,4754.1%
Social services$329,6967.9%
Parks, arena and library$346,4668.3%
Planning and business$19,9360.5%
Total$4,185,641100%

Running the town office

$982K

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. Office and administration$490K+127%

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

  2. Council$248K+5%

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

  3. Senior management$244K+81%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Office and administration$489,627+127.2%
Council$248,248+5.2%
Senior management$244,437+81.2%

Police, fire and safety

$966K

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

+20% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Fire department$381K+113%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  2. Police (OPP contract)$301K−10%

    What the town pays for policing.

  3. Building permits$219K−2%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. By-law and animal control$62,989−1%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  5. Prisoner transport$1,516

    Moving people held by police.

  6. Emergency planning$1,069

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Fire department$381,411+113.4%
Police (OPP contract)$300,644−10.4%
Building permits$218,846−2.1%
By-law and animal control$62,989−1.5%
Prisoner transport$1,516–
Emergency planning$1,069–

Roads and snow

$953K

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

+40% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Snow ploughing$288K−10%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  2. Gravel roads$276K+69%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  3. Roadsides and signs$168K+476%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  4. Paved roads$156K+33%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  5. Bridges and culverts$58,560+29%

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  6. Street lights$7,110

    Power and repairs for street lights.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Snow ploughing$287,684−9.9%
Gravel roads$275,769+69.1%
Roadsides and signs$168,017+476.2%
Paved roads$156,299+32.6%
Bridges and culverts$58,560+28.7%
Street lights$7,110–

Water, sewers and garbage

$417K

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

+21% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. The dump (landfill)$212K+8%

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

  2. Recycling$205K+42%

    Recycling and composting.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
The dump (landfill)$212,301+7.8%
Recycling$204,541+42.2%

Parks, arena and library

$346K

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

+1% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Parks$105K+12%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  2. Arena and buildings$96,323−29%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  3. Programs$87,889+21%

    Classes, camps and activities.

  4. Library$56,256+72%

    The public library.

  5. Arts and culture$989

    Festivals, arts and heritage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Parks$105,009+11.6%
Arena and buildings$96,323−29.2%
Programs$87,889+20.7%
Library$56,256+72.2%
Arts and culture$989–

Social services

$330K

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

+20% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Social services broken down
  1. Income support$177K+10%

    Help for people with very low income.

  2. Seniors$153K+35%

    Long-term care and seniors programs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Income support$177,021+9.6%
Seniors$152,675+35.1%

Health

$170K

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+29% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Health broken down
  1. Ambulance$134K+27%

    Paramedics and ambulances.

  2. Public health$36,383+38%

    Health inspections and programs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Ambulance$134,092+26.6%
Public health$36,383+38.2%

Planning and business

$19,936

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

−75% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$18,806−73%

    Deciding what can be built where.

  2. Business and tourism$1,130

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$18,806−73.5%
Business and tourism$1,130–

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$1.6M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Outside companies$1.2M

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

  3. Supplies and utilities$882K

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

  4. Money given to others$362K

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

  5. Rent and money costs$97,783

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

  6. Interest on loans$3,558

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$1,620,105
Outside companies$1,220,788
Supplies and utilities$881,812
Money given to others$361,595
Rent and money costs$97,783
Interest on loans$3,558

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
20191356
20201542
20211452
20221243
20231453
20241521

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
$6.1M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$4.9M$3.2M
2020$5.3M$3.2M
2021$4.9M$3.3M
2022$5.2M$3.6M
2023$6.0M$4.1M
2024$6.1M$4.2M

Town property tax

Up 33% since 2019. Prices rose 18%.

Town property tax by year
$4.1M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$3.1M
2020$3.2M
2021$3.3M
2022$3.4M
2023$3.8M
2024$4.1M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$3.4M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$2.8M
2020$3.1M
2021$3.2M
2022$3.2M
2023$2.7M
2024$3.4M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$62,977
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$171K$0
2020$150K$0
2021$128K$0
2022$105K$0
2023$81,368$0
2024$62,977$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
$1.9M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$718K$826K
2020$782K$829K
2021$2.4M$759K
2022$621K$743K
2023$3.5M$766K
2024$1.9M$927K

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.