Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Read by hand, Oct 2026Details

This is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Quinte West'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 Quinte West's money works

A city 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 city 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: $138M

Where the city's money came from in 2025.

63%

19%

Property taxes$87.3M63%
Grants for specific projects$11.9M9%
Fees people pay$26.4M19%
Other$7.2M5%
Everything else$5.2M4%

Show as a table

Category	Amount	Share
Property taxes	$87,342,834	63.2%
Grants for specific projects	$11,912,745	8.6%
Fees people pay	$26,429,026	19.1%
Other	$7,249,209	5.2%
Everything else	$5,163,806	3.7%
Total	$138,097,620	100%

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: $100M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2025, by service. On top of this, the city recorded $21M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

18%

19%

18%

Running the city office$17.7M18%
Police, fire and safety$18.8M19%
Roads and snow$18.7M19%
Water, sewers and garbage$18.4M18%
Health$6.2M6%
Social services$4.2M4%
Housing$5.1M5%
Parks, arena and library$8.9M9%
Planning and business$2.2M2%

Show as a table

Category	Amount	Share
Running the city office	$17,710,333	17.7%
Police, fire and safety	$18,790,386	18.8%
Roads and snow	$18,663,826	18.6%
Water, sewers and garbage	$18,362,859	18.3%
Health	$6,245,824	6.2%
Social services	$4,249,853	4.2%
Housing	$5,051,977	5.0%
Parks, arena and library	$8,912,217	8.9%
Planning and business	$2,220,108	2.2%
Total	$100,207,383	100%

Police, fire and safety

$18.8M

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

+28% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Police (OPP contract)$9.9M+14%
What the city pays for policing.
Fire department$6.5M+46%
Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.
Building permits$1.5M+75%
Checking that new buildings are safe.
Conservation authority$884K+56%
A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.
By-law and animal control$12,970−91%
Enforcing city rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

Show as a table

Item	Amount	Change
Police (OPP contract)	$9,908,758	+14.1%
Fire department	$6,463,524	+46.0%
Building permits	$1,521,270	+74.6%
Conservation authority	$883,864	+55.7%
By-law and animal control	$12,970	−91.1%

Roads and snow

$18.7M

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

+34% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Paved roads$8.5M+29%
Fixing and repaving paved roads.
Snow ploughing$3.0M+40%
Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.
Roadsides and signs$3.0M+13%
Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.
Public transit$1.5M+188%
Buses.
Accessible transit$1.1M+12%
Rides for people who cannot use regular buses.
Bridges and culverts$534K+39%
Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.
Street lights$380K+18%
Power and repairs for street lights.
Other transportation$313K
Other transportation costs.
Sidewalk snow$171K+8%
Clearing sidewalks and parking lots.
Parking$85,571−12%
City parking lots and meters.
Gravel roads$15,987
Grading and fixing gravel roads.

Show as a table

Item	Amount	Change
Paved roads	$8,473,384	+29.2%
Snow ploughing	$3,004,420	+39.7%
Roadsides and signs	$2,996,371	+13.2%
Public transit	$1,549,497	+188.0%
Accessible transit	$1,140,697	+12.1%
Bridges and culverts	$533,897	+38.7%
Street lights	$379,887	+17.9%
Other transportation	$313,281	–
Sidewalk snow	$170,834	+7.7%
Parking	$85,571	−11.6%
Gravel roads	$15,987	–

Water, sewers and garbage

$18.4M

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

+33% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Sewage treatment$7.3M+29%
Cleaning sewage before it goes back into nature (Tweed uses lagoons).
Water treatment$5.2M+33%
Making lake or well water safe to drink.
Water pipes$1.4M+14%
The pipes that bring water to homes.
The dump (landfill)$1.3M+55%
Running the landfill, and saving up to close it safely one day.
Garbage pickup$1.2M+31%
Trucks that collect garbage.
Recycling$1.1M+16%
Recycling and composting.
Sewer pipes$441K+162%
The pipes that carry sewage away from homes.
Storm drains$346K+210%
Drains that carry away rain water.
Other environment$636
Other environmental costs.

Show as a table

Item	Amount	Change
Sewage treatment	$7,312,400	+28.6%
Water treatment	$5,193,098	+33.4%
Water pipes	$1,429,968	+14.0%
The dump (landfill)	$1,305,691	+55.2%
Garbage pickup	$1,219,565	+31.4%
Recycling	$1,115,088	+15.8%
Sewer pipes	$440,840	+162.5%
Storm drains	$345,573	+209.6%
Other environment	$636	–

Running the city office

$17.7M

Council, managers, the clerk, accounting, computers, insurance and the city hall itself. Every city needs some of this, but it does not fix a road or put out a fire.

+70% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Office and administration$15.4M+67%
Office staff, finance, IT, insurance, legal and the city hall. Places share this cost out across other services.
Senior management$1.8M+230%
The top managers who run the city day to day.
Council$588K−13%
Pay and expenses for the mayor and councillors, and council meetings.

Show as a table

Item	Amount	Change
Office and administration	$15,362,447	+66.7%
Senior management	$1,759,917	+229.6%
Council	$587,969	−13.2%

Parks, arena and library

$8.9M

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

+32% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Arena and buildings$4.6M+98%
The arena, pool, community centre and halls.
Parks$3.0M+88%
Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.
Golf, marina, ski hill$1.2M−2%
City-owned golf course, marina or ski hill.
Arts and culture$387K+100%
Festivals, arts and heritage.

Show as a table

Item	Amount	Change
Arena and buildings	$4,585,569	+98.2%
Parks	$2,971,032	+88.3%
Golf, marina, ski hill	$1,182,880	−1.6%
Arts and culture	$386,976	+99.9%

Health

$6.2M

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+64% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Ambulance$3.9M+53%
Paramedics and ambulances.
Public health$2.0M+69%
Health inspections and programs.
Hospitals$290K
Money given to hospitals.
Cemeteries$87,719−6%
Looking after city cemeteries.

Show as a table

Item	Amount	Change
Ambulance	$3,885,419	+52.8%
Public health	$1,982,686	+69.2%
Hospitals	$290,000	–
Cemeteries	$87,719	−5.7%

Housing

$5.1M

Affordable and social housing.

+49% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Public housing$5.1M+49%
Homes owned by government.

Show as a table

Item	Amount	Change
Public housing	$5,051,977	+48.8%

Social services

$4.2M

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

+39% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Seniors$2.3M+58%
Long-term care and seniors programs.
Income support$1.9M+21%
Help for people with very low income.

Show as a table

Item	Amount	Change
Seniors	$2,347,620	+58.3%
Income support	$1,902,233	+20.6%

Planning and business

$2.2M

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

+34% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Planning and zoning$1.3M+47%
Deciding what can be built where.
Business and tourism$872K+9%
Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.
New housing$88,447
Helping new homes get built.

Show as a table

Item	Amount	Change
Planning and zoning	$1,260,059	+46.5%
Business and tourism	$871,602	+8.6%
New housing	$88,447	–

What the money bought

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

Staff pay and benefits$35.4M
Wages, benefits and pensions for city workers.
Money given to others$31.6M
Grants and payments to other groups, like the conservation authority.
Outside companies$17.8M
Work the city pays other companies to do, like policing, paving or consultants.
Supplies and utilities$10.7M
Gravel, salt, fuel, electricity, heating, office supplies and repairs.
Interest on loans$3.6M
The extra money paid to lenders for money the city borrowed.
Rent and money costs$1.1M
Renting equipment or space, bank fees, and some accounting costs.

Show as a table

Item	Amount
Staff pay and benefits	$35,359,522
Money given to others	$31,638,502
Outside companies	$17,763,311
Supplies and utilities	$10,701,486
Interest on loans	$3,634,551
Rent and money costs	$1,110,011

Staff

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

Year	Full-time	Part-time	Seasonal
2019	202	27	95
2020	205	26	100
2021	206	27	93
2022	217	39	73
2023	224	39	68
2024	244.5	52	29
2025	240.5	45	54

In 2022, full-time staff jumped from 206 to 217 while part-time dropped from 27 to 39. The total barely changed, so this looks like a change in how jobs were counted or set up, not a hiring spree. Staff pay rose only 10% that year.

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 city 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.

$138M

Show as a table

Year	Money in	Day-to-day spending
2019	$98.3M	$71.5M
2020	$104M	$74.4M
2021	$109M	$77.9M
2022	$112M	$83M
2023	$122M	$87.8M
2024	$141M	$94.5M
2025	$138M	$100M

City property tax

Up 39% since 2019. Prices rose 21%.

$87.3M

Show as a table

Year	City property tax
2019	$62.6M
2020	$65.8M
2021	$66.8M
2022	$69.1M
2023	$74.7M
2024	$81.1M
2025	$87.3M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

$63.8M

Show as a table

Year	Savings
2019	$40.3M
2020	$46M
2021	$49.3M
2022	$49.3M
2023	$52.1M
2024	$59.1M
2025	$63.8M

What the city owes

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

$106M

Show as a table

Year	Long-term loans	Temporary loans
2019	$92.8M	$0
2020	$123M	$0
2021	$117M	$0
2022	$111M	$0
2023	$120M	$0
2024	$113M	$0
2025	$106M	$0

Building new things

Spending on new or rebuilt roads, pipes, buildings and equipment, compared with how fast existing ones wear out.

$34.1M

Show as a table

Year	Built or bought	Wore out (amortization)
2019	$13.9M	$16.5M
2020	$37.5M	$17M
2021	$40.2M	$18.2M
2022	$31.7M	$18.9M
2023	$24.2M	$19.7M
2024	$43.3M	$20.2M
2025	$34.1M	$21M

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.