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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 New Tecumseth'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 New Tecumseth'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: $144M

Where the town's money came from in 2025.

New Tecumseth revenue by source, 2025
  • Property taxes$49M34%
  • Grants for specific projects$16.9M12%
  • Fees people pay$27.9M19%
  • Other$47.2M33%
  • Everything else$3.2M2%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$49,027,46634.0%
Grants for specific projects$16,905,46911.7%
Fees people pay$27,917,62219.4%
Other$47,226,99732.7%
Everything else$3,176,7792.2%
Total$144,254,333100%

What each source means

Property taxes
What home and business owners pay each year, based on what their property is worth.
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: $70.3M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2025, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $16.1M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

New Tecumseth spending by service, 2025
  • Running the town office$10.8M15%
  • Police, fire and safety$13.8M20%
  • Roads and snow$11.9M17%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$16.8M24%
  • Health$10,0000%
  • Parks, arena and library$13.6M19%
  • Planning and business$3.4M5%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$10,809,17815.4%
Police, fire and safety$13,839,41419.7%
Roads and snow$11,855,60516.9%
Water, sewers and garbage$16,840,59323.9%
Health$10,0000.0%
Parks, arena and library$13,624,00819.4%
Planning and business$3,368,4574.8%
Total$70,347,255100%

Water, sewers and garbage

$16.8M

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

+39% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Sewage treatment$6.5M+12%

    Cleaning sewage before it goes back into nature (Tweed uses lagoons).

  2. Water treatment$5.4M+66%

    Making lake or well water safe to drink.

  3. Water pipes$2.7M+66%

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

  4. Sewer pipes$2.0M+53%

    The pipes that carry sewage away from homes.

  5. Storm drains$288K+66%

    Drains that carry away rain water.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Sewage treatment$6,466,593+11.7%
Water treatment$5,416,582+66.4%
Water pipes$2,674,135+66.4%
Sewer pipes$1,994,984+53.2%
Storm drains$288,299+65.8%

Police, fire and safety

$13.8M

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

+34% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$6.4M+7%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$4.1M+45%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. By-law and animal control$2.3M+173%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  4. Conservation authority$554K+47%

    A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.

  5. Building permits$457K+43%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$6,422,045+7.1%
Fire department$4,079,377+45.2%
By-law and animal control$2,326,634+172.8%
Conservation authority$554,407+46.9%
Building permits$456,951+43.2%

Parks, arena and library

$13.6M

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

+45% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$6.6M+6%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Parks$3.2M+191%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  3. Library$2.6M+50%

    The public library.

  4. Programs$751K+417%

    Classes, camps and activities.

  5. Museums$449K+104%

    Local museums.

  6. Arts and culture$26,342−46%

    Festivals, arts and heritage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$6,559,480+6.5%
Parks$3,223,109+190.6%
Library$2,614,997+50.2%
Programs$750,688+416.8%
Museums$449,392+104.2%
Arts and culture$26,342−46.4%

Roads and snow

$11.9M

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

+32% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Paved roads$4.2M+103%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  2. Snow ploughing$2.8M+55%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  3. Roadsides and signs$2.7M+3%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  4. Street lights$854K+45%

    Power and repairs for street lights.

  5. Bridges and culverts$563K−21%

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  6. Gravel roads$360K−51%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  7. Sidewalk snow$213K+84%

    Clearing sidewalks and parking lots.

  8. Parking$105K+31%

    Town parking lots and meters.

  9. Public transit$36,839−84%

    Buses.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Paved roads$4,229,500+102.9%
Snow ploughing$2,814,090+55.4%
Roadsides and signs$2,680,634+3.3%
Street lights$853,718+45.1%
Bridges and culverts$563,275−21.2%
Gravel roads$359,512−50.7%
Sidewalk snow$212,788+84.3%
Parking$105,249+31.5%
Public transit$36,839−84.4%

Running the town office

$10.8M

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.

+62% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Office and administration$10.0M+71%

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

  2. Council$832K+2%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Office and administration$9,976,861+70.9%
Council$832,317+2.2%

Planning and business

$3.4M

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

+27% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$2.7M+32%

    Deciding what can be built where.

  2. Business and tourism$636K+9%

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$2,732,571+31.9%
Business and tourism$635,886+8.7%

Health

$10,000

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

0% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Health broken down
  1. Other health$10,000

    Other health costs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Other health$10,000–

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$36.6M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Supplies and utilities$16.2M

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

  3. Outside companies$15.1M

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

  4. Interest on loans$2.4M

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

  5. Rent and money costs$50,283

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$36,571,684
Supplies and utilities$16,217,989
Outside companies$15,071,765
Interest on loans$2,435,534
Rent and money costs$50,283

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
201920165130
202020664130
202120964135
202222264134
202322864142
202425264157
202525966164

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
$144M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$68.4M$50.2M
2020$69M$49.2M
2021$77.4M$51.8M
2022$83.5M$57M
2023$89.9M$59.8M
2024$89.8M$65.1M
2025$144M$70.3M

Town property tax

Up 36% since 2019. Prices rose 21%.

Town property tax by year
$49M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$36M
2020$37.8M
2021$39.3M
2022$40.7M
2023$42.4M
2024$46.7M
2025$49M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$64.3M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$40.4M
2020$45.6M
2021$53.3M
2022$50.1M
2023$52M
2024$52.4M
2025$64.3M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$66.4M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$70.2M$0
2020$65.9M$0
2021$69.8M$7.5M
2022$63.5M$7.5M
2023$57.8M$7.5M
2024$52.1M$7.5M
2025$66.4M$16.1M

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
$36.6M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$7.5M$12.8M
2020$15.6M$13.2M
2021$18.6M$13.4M
2022$34.5M$13.8M
2023$33.8M$14.8M
2024$34.6M$15.6M
2025$36.6M$16.1M

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.