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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Kerns'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 Kerns' 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: $1.1M

Where the town's money came from in 2024.

Kerns revenue by source, 2024
  • Property taxes$640K59%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$89,3008%
  • Grants for specific projects$243K22%
  • Fees people pay$59,9385%
  • Other$41,3624%
  • Everything else$18,3182%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$640,15158.6%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$89,3008.2%
Grants for specific projects$243,08522.3%
Fees people pay$59,9385.5%
Other$41,3623.8%
Everything else$18,3181.7%
Total$1,092,154100%

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.
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: $672K on services

Day-to-day spending in 2024, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $261K of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Kerns spending by service, 2024
  • Running the town office$131K20%
  • Police, fire and safety$108K16%
  • Roads and snow$267K40%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$23,2693%
  • Health$72,39211%
  • Social services$12,2872%
  • Housing$27,0874%
  • Parks, arena and library$24,6494%
  • Planning and business$5,7811%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$131,12319.5%
Police, fire and safety$107,79316.0%
Roads and snow$267,44039.8%
Water, sewers and garbage$23,2693.5%
Health$72,39210.8%
Social services$12,2871.8%
Housing$27,0874.0%
Parks, arena and library$24,6493.7%
Planning and business$5,7810.9%
Total$671,821100%

Roads and snow

$267K

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

+9% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Gravel roads$104K+19%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  2. Roadsides and signs$92,584+87%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  3. Snow ploughing$50,790−34%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  4. Bridges and culverts$14,063

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  5. Airport$3,000

    A local airport or airstrip.

  6. Paved roads$2,857

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Gravel roads$104,146+18.6%
Roadsides and signs$92,584+86.8%
Snow ploughing$50,790−34.2%
Bridges and culverts$14,063–
Airport$3,000–
Paved roads$2,857–

Running the town office

$131K

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.

+17% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Senior management$111K+18%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  2. Council$19,790

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$111,333+17.5%
Council$19,790–

Police, fire and safety

$108K

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$47,978+32%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  2. Police (OPP contract)$30,147−19%

    What the town pays for policing.

  3. Building permits$25,129

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. Emergency planning$2,499

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

  5. By-law and animal control$2,040

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Fire department$47,978+32.3%
Police (OPP contract)$30,147−19.0%
Building permits$25,129–
Emergency planning$2,499–
By-law and animal control$2,040–

Health

$72,392

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+34% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Health broken down
  1. Ambulance$48,474+5%

    Paramedics and ambulances.

  2. Public health$17,557

    Health inspections and programs.

  3. Cemeteries$6,361

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Ambulance$48,474+4.8%
Public health$17,557–
Cemeteries$6,361–

Housing

$27,087

Affordable and social housing.

−21% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Housing broken down
  1. Public housing$27,087−21%

    Homes owned by government.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Public housing$27,087−21.0%

Parks, arena and library

$24,649

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

+96% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Parks$12,839

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  2. Arena and buildings$9,808

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  3. Library$2,002

    The public library.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Parks$12,839–
Arena and buildings$9,808–
Library$2,002–

Water, sewers and garbage

$23,269

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

+17% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. The dump (landfill)$14,688

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

  2. Recycling$8,581

    Recycling and composting.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
The dump (landfill)$14,688–
Recycling$8,581–

Social services

$12,287

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

−11% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Social services broken down
  1. Income support$8,374

    Help for people with very low income.

  2. Child care$3,913

    Daycare and early learning.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Income support$8,374–
Child care$3,913–

Planning and business

$5,781

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

−58% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$5,266

    Deciding what can be built where.

  2. Farms and forests$515

    Programs for farms and forests.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$5,266–
Farms and forests$515–

What the money bought

The same 2024 spending, sorted by what it paid for rather than which service.

Spending by type
  1. Outside companies$297K

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

  2. Supplies and utilities$204K

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

  3. Money given to others$105K

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

  4. Staff pay and benefits$47,069

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  5. Rent and money costs$12,395

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

  6. Interest on loans$6,178

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Outside companies$297,036
Supplies and utilities$203,738
Money given to others$105,405
Staff pay and benefits$47,069
Rent and money costs$12,395
Interest on loans$6,178

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
2019001
2020002
2021002
2022002
2023002
2024002

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
$1.1M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$922K$595K
2020$1.3M$578K
2021$832K$577K
2022$1.1M$640K
2023$954K$679K
2024$1.1M$672K

Town property tax

Up 30% since 2019. Prices rose 18%.

Town property tax by year
$640K
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$492K
2020$531K
2021$557K
2022$594K
2023$619K
2024$640K

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$801K
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$190K
2020$318K
2021$489K
2022$639K
2023$690K
2024$801K

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$222K
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$101K$0
2020$86,071$0
2021$342K$0
2022$302K$0
2023$261K$0
2024$222K$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
$211K
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$423K$184K
2020$621K$200K
2021$85,749$204K
2022$582K$234K
2023$240K$249K
2024$211K$261K

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.