Council BooksNorth MiddlesexOntarioSign inSubscribe
Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Older reportDetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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
An older report. We have no 2024 report for North Middlesex in the Province's latest release, so these pages use its 2023 report. It may simply be filed late.
Read by hand. We read North Middlesex'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 · 2023

How North Middlesex'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 2023, the latest year the town has reported to the Province.

Why 2023 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: $24.6M

Where the town's money came from in 2023.

North Middlesex revenue by source, 2023
  • Property taxes$8.5M35%
  • Grants for specific projects$6.4M26%
  • Fees people pay$6.0M24%
  • Licences and rent$2.7M11%
  • Everything else$1.1M4%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$8,526,80534.7%
Grants for specific projects$6,355,51425.8%
Fees people pay$5,977,33924.3%
Licences and rent$2,683,27010.9%
Everything else$1,065,4264.3%
Total$24,608,354100%

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.
Licences and rent
Dog tags, licences, and rent from town-owned property.

Money out: $14M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2023, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $2.3M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

North Middlesex spending by service, 2023
  • Running the town office$1.5M11%
  • Police, fire and safety$2.0M14%
  • Roads and snow$3.1M22%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$4.9M35%
  • Health$57,9810%
  • Parks, arena and library$1.4M10%
  • Planning and business$1.1M8%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$1,548,67311.0%
Police, fire and safety$1,989,11414.2%
Roads and snow$3,050,28721.7%
Water, sewers and garbage$4,885,51734.8%
Health$57,9810.4%
Parks, arena and library$1,444,19510.3%
Planning and business$1,052,1277.5%
Total$14,027,894100%

Water, sewers and garbage

$4.9M

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

+69% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Water pipes$3.3M+100%

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

  2. Sewer pipes$1.0M+40%

    The pipes that carry sewage away from homes.

  3. The dump (landfill)$282K+54%

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

  4. Recycling$223K

    Recycling and composting.

  5. Garbage pickup$59,222−81%

    Trucks that collect garbage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Water pipes$3,289,304+99.9%
Sewer pipes$1,032,250+39.5%
The dump (landfill)$281,670+53.9%
Recycling$223,071–
Garbage pickup$59,222−80.5%

Roads and snow

$3.1M

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

+8% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Roadsides and signs$2.0M+59%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  2. Gravel roads$415K−68%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  3. Paved roads$381K+805%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  4. Bridges and culverts$122K+25%

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  5. Snow ploughing$102K−5%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  6. Street lights$36,984+6%

    Power and repairs for street lights.

  7. Sidewalk snow$2,999

    Clearing sidewalks and parking lots.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Roadsides and signs$1,990,076+58.6%
Gravel roads$415,236−67.7%
Paved roads$380,715+805.4%
Bridges and culverts$122,050+25.2%
Snow ploughing$102,227−4.7%
Street lights$36,984+6.4%
Sidewalk snow$2,999–

Police, fire and safety

$2.0M

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

+7% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$944K−14%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$703K+72%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. Conservation authority$195K−13%

    A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.

  4. Building permits$122K+63%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  5. By-law and animal control$24,920−55%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$944,158−14.3%
Fire department$703,274+71.8%
Conservation authority$195,002−13.4%
Building permits$121,760+62.6%
By-law and animal control$24,920−55.2%

Running the town office

$1.5M

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.

+14% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Council$1.5M+429%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Council$1,548,673+429.2%

Parks, arena and library

$1.4M

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

+35% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$1.4M+51%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Library$5,155

    The public library.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$1,439,040+50.8%
Library$5,155–

Planning and business

$1.1M

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

−55% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Other planning$633K

    Other planning costs.

  2. Business and tourism$290K+292%

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

  3. Planning and zoning$129K+366%

    Deciding what can be built where.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Other planning$632,880–
Business and tourism$290,127+292.1%
Planning and zoning$129,120+365.7%

Health

$57,981

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+134% since 2019 (prices rose 16%)

Health broken down
  1. Cemeteries$57,981

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Cemeteries$57,981–

What the money bought

The same 2023 spending, sorted by what it paid for rather than which service.

Spending by type
  1. Outside companies$5.4M

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

  2. Supplies and utilities$4.4M

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

  3. Staff pay and benefits$3.4M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  4. Interest on loans$418K

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

  5. Rent and money costs$196K

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

  6. Money given to others$195K

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Outside companies$5,433,310
Supplies and utilities$4,385,429
Staff pay and benefits$3,399,966
Interest on loans$418,347
Rent and money costs$195,840
Money given to others$195,002

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
201930221
202032717
202134512
202234512
20233128

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
$24.6M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$15M$12.4M
2020$15.4M$11.8M
2021$20.3M$13.1M
2022$18.2M$13.1M
2023$24.6M$14M

Town property tax

Up 8% since 2019. Prices rose 16%.

Town property tax by year
$8.5M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$7.9M
2020$8.3M
2021$8.1M
2022$8.3M
2023$8.5M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$15.8M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$14.6M
2020$13.7M
2021$15.5M
2022$16.8M
2023$15.8M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$1.8M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$1.1M$0
2020$1.1M$0
2021$800K$1.0M
2022$2.1M$4.4M
2023$1.8M$6.5M

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
$1.0M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$1.6M$1.8M
2020$1.9M$2.1M
2021$4.0M$2.1M
2022$3.7M$2.1M
2023$1.0M$2.3M

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.