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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 McKellar'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 McKellar'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 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: $7.3M

Where the town's money came from in 2025.

McKellar revenue by source, 2025
  • Property taxes$4.6M63%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$1.1M15%
  • Other towns and the county$625K9%
  • Other$471K6%
  • Everything else$463K6%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$4,584,54463.2%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$1,110,13815.3%
Other towns and the county$624,7798.6%
Other$470,8906.5%
Everything else$462,7946.4%
Total$7,253,145100%

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.
Other towns and the county
Payments from neighbours for shared services.
Other
Interest earned, donations, sales of land and equipment.

Money out: $4.7M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2025, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $980K of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

McKellar spending by service, 2025
  • Running the town office$1.0M22%
  • Police, fire and safety$924K20%
  • Roads and snow$1.4M29%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$259K6%
  • Health$303K6%
  • Social services$441K9%
  • Parks, arena and library$254K5%
  • Planning and business$102K2%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$1,021,01321.9%
Police, fire and safety$923,73919.8%
Roads and snow$1,367,06329.3%
Water, sewers and garbage$258,7585.5%
Health$303,1506.5%
Social services$441,2399.4%
Parks, arena and library$253,6065.4%
Planning and business$102,3192.2%
Total$4,670,887100%

Roads and snow

$1.4M

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

+29% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Roadsides and signs$642K+531%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  2. Gravel roads$347K−21%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  3. Snow ploughing$215K0%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  4. Bridges and culverts$85,839+147%

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  5. Paved roads$60,249−78%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  6. Other transportation$13,802

    Other transportation costs.

  7. Street lights$2,224

    Power and repairs for street lights.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Roadsides and signs$642,318+531.1%
Gravel roads$347,270−21.0%
Snow ploughing$215,361−0.2%
Bridges and culverts$85,839+147.4%
Paved roads$60,249−77.5%
Other transportation$13,802–
Street lights$2,224–

Running the town office

$1.0M

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.

+37% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Office and administration$890K+53%

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

  2. Council$131K−11%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Office and administration$890,452+52.8%
Council$130,561−10.8%

Police, fire and safety

$924K

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

+26% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$376K+7%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$364K+68%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. Building permits$173K+40%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. Emergency planning$10,583

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$376,040+7.0%
Fire department$363,909+67.7%
Building permits$173,207+39.7%
Emergency planning$10,583–

Social services

$441K

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

+13% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Social services broken down
  1. Income support$326K+14%

    Help for people with very low income.

  2. Seniors$115K+11%

    Long-term care and seniors programs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Income support$326,227+14.0%
Seniors$115,012+11.4%

Health

$303K

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+20% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Health broken down
  1. Ambulance$248K+20%

    Paramedics and ambulances.

  2. Public health$44,296+12%

    Health inspections and programs.

  3. Cemeteries$10,939

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Ambulance$247,915+20.4%
Public health$44,296+11.7%
Cemeteries$10,939–

Water, sewers and garbage

$259K

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

+43% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. The dump (landfill)$170K+7%

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

  2. Recycling$89,074

    Recycling and composting.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
The dump (landfill)$169,684+7.2%
Recycling$89,074–

Parks, arena and library

$254K

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

+21% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$73,581−38%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Library$73,538

    The public library.

  3. Parks$71,407−4%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  4. Other recreation$27,729

    Other recreation costs.

  5. Arts and culture$4,162

    Festivals, arts and heritage.

  6. Programs$3,189

    Classes, camps and activities.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$73,581−38.1%
Library$73,538–
Parks$71,407−4.0%
Other recreation$27,729–
Arts and culture$4,162–
Programs$3,189–

Planning and business

$102K

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

+7% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$57,128+28%

    Deciding what can be built where.

  2. Business and tourism$30,485−40%

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

  3. Other planning$14,706

    Other planning costs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$57,128+28.4%
Business and tourism$30,485−40.2%
Other planning$14,706–

What the money bought

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

Spending by type
  1. Staff pay and benefits$1.8M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Supplies and utilities$1.2M

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

  3. Outside companies$787K

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

  4. Money given to others$746K

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

  5. Interest on loans$120K

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

  6. Rent and money costs$3,527

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$1,822,171
Supplies and utilities$1,191,513
Outside companies$786,935
Money given to others$746,281
Interest on loans$120,460
Rent and money costs$3,527

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
20191234
20201422
20211122
20221132
20231042
20241112
20251111

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
$7.3M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$5.0M$3.7M
2020$4.8M$3.7M
2021$5.1M$3.8M
2022$5.6M$3.7M
2023$5.8M$4.3M
2024$6.3M$4.5M
2025$7.3M$4.7M

Town property tax

Up 43% since 2019. Prices rose 21%.

Town property tax by year
$4.6M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$3.2M
2020$3.4M
2021$3.5M
2022$3.8M
2023$4.0M
2024$4.3M
2025$4.6M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$3.7M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$1.9M
2020$1.1M
2021$1.5M
2022$2.4M
2023$1.4M
2024$3.0M
2025$3.7M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$4.1M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$0$0
2020$0$0
2021$155K$0
2022$897K$0
2023$799K$0
2024$1.5M$0
2025$4.1M$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
$4.0M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$946K$862K
2020$2.0M$917K
2021$684K$973K
2022$1.5M$814K
2023$1.1M$836K
2024$1.1M$860K
2025$4.0M$980K

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.