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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Morris-Turnberry'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 Morris-Turnberry'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: $8.0M

Where the town's money came from in 2025.

Morris-Turnberry revenue by source, 2025
  • Property taxes$5.7M72%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$409K5%
  • Grants for specific projects$510K6%
  • Fees people pay$779K10%
  • Everything else$531K7%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$5,723,29572.0%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$408,6005.1%
Grants for specific projects$510,2676.4%
Fees people pay$779,0419.8%
Everything else$530,5216.7%
Total$7,951,724100%

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.

Money out: $5.9M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2025, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $1.1M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Morris-Turnberry spending by service, 2025
  • Running the town office$707K12%
  • Police, fire and safety$1.4M24%
  • Roads and snow$2.3M38%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$630K11%
  • Health$15,6590%
  • Parks, arena and library$283K5%
  • Planning and business$619K10%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$707,41812.0%
Police, fire and safety$1,392,83723.6%
Roads and snow$2,256,25338.2%
Water, sewers and garbage$630,32110.7%
Health$15,6590.3%
Parks, arena and library$283,1614.8%
Planning and business$619,23710.5%
Total$5,904,886100%

Roads and snow

$2.3M

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

+40% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Gravel roads$1.3M+11%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  2. Paved roads$506K+170%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  3. Snow ploughing$448K+68%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  4. Bridges and culverts$29,889

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  5. Street lights$17,818

    Power and repairs for street lights.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Gravel roads$1,254,872+11.5%
Paved roads$505,763+169.5%
Snow ploughing$447,911+67.7%
Bridges and culverts$29,889–
Street lights$17,818–

Police, fire and safety

$1.4M

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

+23% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Fire department$575K+101%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  2. Police (OPP contract)$470K−2%

    What the town pays for policing.

  3. Building permits$176K−30%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. Conservation authority$118K+53%

    A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.

  5. By-law and animal control$39,483

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  6. Emergency planning$14,129

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Fire department$574,655+100.5%
Police (OPP contract)$470,415−2.3%
Building permits$175,993−30.0%
Conservation authority$118,162+53.0%
By-law and animal control$39,483–
Emergency planning$14,129–

Running the town office

$707K

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.

+12% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Senior management$641K+16%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  2. Council$66,171−17%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$641,247+16.0%
Council$66,171−17.1%

Water, sewers and garbage

$630K

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

+3% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. The dump (landfill)$289K+13%

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

  2. Garbage pickup$157K−16%

    Trucks that collect garbage.

  3. Water pipes$103K+8%

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

  4. Water treatment$74,319+24%

    Making lake or well water safe to drink.

  5. Other environment$6,890

    Other environmental costs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
The dump (landfill)$289,170+13.3%
Garbage pickup$156,534−16.1%
Water pipes$103,408+7.7%
Water treatment$74,319+23.9%
Other environment$6,890–

Planning and business

$619K

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

0% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Farms and forests$565K+12%

    Programs for farms and forests.

  2. Planning and zoning$37,333−15%

    Deciding what can be built where.

  3. New housing$11,424−70%

    Helping new homes get built.

  4. Farm drainage loans$5,201

    Loans to farmers for field drainage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Farms and forests$565,279+12.4%
Planning and zoning$37,333−15.1%
New housing$11,424−70.3%
Farm drainage loans$5,201–

Parks, arena and library

$283K

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

+63% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Programs$251K+80%

    Classes, camps and activities.

  2. Arena and buildings$15,843

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  3. Parks$11,424

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  4. Arts and culture$4,575

    Festivals, arts and heritage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Programs$251,319+80.2%
Arena and buildings$15,843–
Parks$11,424–
Arts and culture$4,575–

Health

$15,659

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

−81% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Health broken down
  1. Cemeteries$10,475−58%

    Looking after town cemeteries.

  2. Hospitals$5,184−91%

    Money given to hospitals.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Cemeteries$10,475−58.4%
Hospitals$5,184−91.0%

What the money bought

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

Spending by type
  1. Outside companies$2.8M

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

  2. Staff pay and benefits$1.8M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  3. Supplies and utilities$1.1M

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

  4. Money given to others$128K

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

  5. Interest on loans$45,715

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

  6. Rent and money costs$42,864

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Outside companies$2,833,922
Staff pay and benefits$1,777,184
Supplies and utilities$1,077,280
Money given to others$127,921
Interest on loans$45,715
Rent and money costs$42,864

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
20191273
202012110
20211290
20221315
20231315
20241315
20251216

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
$8.0M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$6.3M$4.9M
2020$6.2M$4.9M
2021$7.7M$4.6M
2022$8.9M$4.9M
2023$7.5M$6.1M
2024$8.0M$6.4M
2025$8.0M$5.9M

Town property tax

Up 53% since 2019. Prices rose 21%.

Town property tax by year
$5.7M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$3.7M
2020$4.2M
2021$4.4M
2022$4.8M
2023$5.1M
2024$5.5M
2025$5.7M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$6.5M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$1.7M
2020$1.8M
2021$2.4M
2022$5.3M
2023$5.9M
2024$5.6M
2025$6.5M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$1.3M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$850K$0
2020$1.7M$0
2021$1.6M$0
2022$1.5M$0
2023$1.5M$0
2024$1.4M$0
2025$1.3M$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$1.4M$894K
2020$1.3M$938K
2021$2.6M$888K
2022$2.2M$966K
2023$955K$1.0M
2024$1.8M$1.1M
2025$1.5M$1.1M

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.