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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Rideau Lakes'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 · 2024

How Rideau Lakes' 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 2024, the latest year the town has reported to the Province.

Why 2024 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: $21M

Where the town's money came from in 2024.

Rideau Lakes revenue by source, 2024
  • Property taxes$13.4M64%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$1.7M8%
  • Grants for specific projects$972K5%
  • Fees people pay$1.9M9%
  • Licences and rent$845K4%
  • Other$1.8M9%
  • Everything else$363K2%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$13,431,01963.9%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$1,705,1008.1%
Grants for specific projects$971,6504.6%
Fees people pay$1,910,9079.1%
Licences and rent$844,6064.0%
Other$1,802,2448.6%
Everything else$362,8371.7%
Total$21,028,363100%

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.
Licences and rent
Dog tags, licences, and rent from town-owned property.
Other
Interest earned, donations, sales of land and equipment.

Money out: $14.6M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2024, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $3.1M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Rideau Lakes spending by service, 2024
  • Running the town office$3.2M22%
  • Police, fire and safety$3.8M26%
  • Roads and snow$3.0M21%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$1.5M10%
  • Housing$80,5241%
  • Parks, arena and library$2.4M17%
  • Planning and business$477K3%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$3,224,51222.1%
Police, fire and safety$3,812,80926.2%
Roads and snow$3,039,16220.8%
Water, sewers and garbage$1,528,95910.5%
Housing$80,5240.6%
Parks, arena and library$2,414,32616.6%
Planning and business$476,7553.3%
Total$14,577,047100%

Police, fire and safety

$3.8M

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

+7% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$2.1M−1%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$831K+22%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. Building permits$596K+23%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. Conservation authority$158K+16%

    A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.

  5. By-law and animal control$101K−5%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  6. Emergency planning$23,936−9%

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$2,102,205−0.9%
Fire department$831,302+21.9%
Building permits$595,755+22.9%
Conservation authority$158,401+16.0%
By-law and animal control$101,210−5.4%
Emergency planning$23,936−9.0%

Running the town office

$3.2M

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.

+28% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Senior management$3.0M+177%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  2. Council$240K+24%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$2,984,297+176.9%
Council$240,215+24.1%

Roads and snow

$3.0M

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

+11% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Paved roads$2.0M+8%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  2. Roadsides and signs$589K+55%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  3. Snow ploughing$240K−52%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  4. Gravel roads$163K

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  5. Street lights$35,227

    Power and repairs for street lights.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Paved roads$2,012,282+8.4%
Roadsides and signs$589,426+54.7%
Snow ploughing$239,602−51.9%
Gravel roads$162,625–
Street lights$35,227–

Parks, arena and library

$2.4M

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

+21% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Parks$865K+14%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  2. Library$647K+23%

    The public library.

  3. Programs$502K+13%

    Classes, camps and activities.

  4. Arena and buildings$366K+44%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  5. Arts and culture$34,151

    Festivals, arts and heritage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Parks$865,062+13.6%
Library$646,784+23.2%
Programs$502,268+13.2%
Arena and buildings$366,061+44.0%
Arts and culture$34,151–

Water, sewers and garbage

$1.5M

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

−29% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. The dump (landfill)$819K−46%

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

  2. Garbage pickup$710K+41%

    Trucks that collect garbage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
The dump (landfill)$819,215−45.9%
Garbage pickup$709,744+41.1%

Planning and business

$477K

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

+20% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$427K+71%

    Deciding what can be built where.

  2. Business and tourism$49,895−66%

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$426,860+71.1%
Business and tourism$49,895−66.1%

Housing

$80,524

Affordable and social housing.

+20% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Housing broken down
  1. Public housing$80,524+20%

    Homes owned by government.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Public housing$80,524+20.5%

What the money bought

The same 2024 spending, sorted by what it paid for rather than which service.

Spending by type
  1. Staff pay and benefits$6.2M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Supplies and utilities$3.9M

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

  3. Outside companies$3.6M

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

  4. Money given to others$494K

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

  5. Rent and money costs$177K

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

  6. Interest on loans$149K

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$6,217,326
Supplies and utilities$3,948,174
Outside companies$3,591,958
Money given to others$493,587
Rent and money costs$177,246
Interest on loans$148,756

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
2019401844
2020421923
2021411923
2022441923
2023441923
2024461822

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
$21M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$16.9M$13.4M
2020$17.4M$13.7M
2021$18.8M$13.6M
2022$20.8M$14.3M
2023$20.1M$14.5M
2024$21M$14.6M

Town property tax

Up 21% since 2019. Prices rose 18%.

Town property tax by year
$13.4M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$11.1M
2020$11.6M
2021$11.7M
2022$12.2M
2023$12.8M
2024$13.4M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$3.7M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$1.9M
2020$1.7M
2021$2.0M
2022$2.4M
2023$3.0M
2024$3.7M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$6.8M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$7.9M$0
2020$7.3M$0
2021$6.2M$0
2022$4.9M$0
2023$4.6M$0
2024$6.8M$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
$5.8M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$2.8M$2.4M
2020$4.1M$2.5M
2021$4.9M$2.6M
2022$5.2M$2.7M
2023$4.1M$3.0M
2024$5.8M$3.1M

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.