Council BooksShelburneOntarioSign inSubscribe
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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Shelburne'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 Shelburne'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: $36.4M

Where the town's money came from in 2025.

Shelburne revenue by source, 2025
  • Property taxes$11M30%
  • Fees people pay$6.9M19%
  • Other$16.7M46%
  • Everything else$1.8M5%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$10,968,83030.2%
Fees people pay$6,904,84419.0%
Other$16,661,44945.8%
Everything else$1,842,4135.1%
Total$36,377,536100%

What each source means

Property taxes
What home and business owners pay each year, based on what their property is worth.
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: $13.5M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2025, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $2.9M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Shelburne spending by service, 2025
  • Running the town office$2.6M19%
  • Police, fire and safety$1.7M12%
  • Roads and snow$2.8M21%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$2.9M21%
  • Health$124K1%
  • Parks, arena and library$2.4M18%
  • Planning and business$1.1M8%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$2,560,52519.0%
Police, fire and safety$1,659,23412.3%
Roads and snow$2,761,73320.5%
Water, sewers and garbage$2,852,98221.2%
Health$123,6550.9%
Parks, arena and library$2,408,57217.9%
Planning and business$1,098,5988.2%
Total$13,465,299100%

Water, sewers and garbage

$2.9M

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

+27% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Sewer pipes$1.5M+28%

    The pipes that carry sewage away from homes.

  2. Water treatment$1.3M+70%

    Making lake or well water safe to drink.

  3. Storm drains$35,258+22%

    Drains that carry away rain water.

  4. Garbage pickup$7,711−97%

    Trucks that collect garbage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Sewer pipes$1,501,068+27.7%
Water treatment$1,308,945+69.7%
Storm drains$35,258+22.0%
Garbage pickup$7,711−97.2%

Roads and snow

$2.8M

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

+88% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Paved roads$1.9M+116%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  2. Snow ploughing$514K+109%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  3. Street lights$224K+45%

    Power and repairs for street lights.

  4. Roadsides and signs$120K−34%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  5. Gravel roads$13,120

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Paved roads$1,890,543+115.5%
Snow ploughing$513,636+109.2%
Street lights$224,405+45.1%
Roadsides and signs$120,029−34.0%
Gravel roads$13,120–

Running the town office

$2.6M

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.

+77% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Senior management$1.9M+61%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  2. Office and administration$475K+357%

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

  3. Council$178K+13%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$1,908,107+61.2%
Office and administration$474,844+357.5%
Council$177,574+13.0%

Parks, arena and library

$2.4M

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

+70% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$1.1M+48%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Parks$690K+337%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  3. Library$483K+49%

    The public library.

  4. Programs$89,792

    Classes, camps and activities.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$1,146,053+47.8%
Parks$690,045+337.2%
Library$482,682+48.5%
Programs$89,792–

Police, fire and safety

$1.7M

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

−41% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$721K−70%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$583K+117%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. By-law and animal control$273K+261%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  4. Conservation authority$82,430+54%

    A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$720,811−69.9%
Fire department$582,997+117.3%
By-law and animal control$272,996+261.0%
Conservation authority$82,430+54.3%

Planning and business

$1.1M

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

+30% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$896K+38%

    Deciding what can be built where.

  2. Business and tourism$202K+4%

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$896,449+38.1%
Business and tourism$202,149+3.9%

Health

$124K

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+135% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Health broken down
  1. Cemeteries$124K+135%

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Cemeteries$123,655+134.6%

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$6.2M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Supplies and utilities$4.2M

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

  3. Outside companies$2.6M

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

  4. Interest on loans$289K

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

  5. Money given to others$88,520

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

  6. Rent and money costs$10,827

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$6,221,594
Supplies and utilities$4,227,832
Outside companies$2,628,014
Interest on loans$288,512
Money given to others$88,520
Rent and money costs$10,827

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
2019691016
202072718
202168219
202262019
202367320
202470324
202571324

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
$36.4M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$15M$10.3M
2020$20.5M$11.4M
2021$17.6M$13M
2022$18.4M$12.8M
2023$22.2M$14.2M
2024$23.2M$14.8M
2025$36.4M$13.5M

Town property tax

Up 57% since 2019. Prices rose 21%.

Town property tax by year
$11M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$7.0M
2020$7.6M
2021$8.1M
2022$9.0M
2023$9.4M
2024$10.4M
2025$11M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$27.7M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$11.5M
2020$12.7M
2021$13.2M
2022$15.3M
2023$17.1M
2024$19.6M
2025$27.7M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$6.3M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$4.9M$0
2020$4.4M$0
2021$4.0M$0
2022$8.5M$0
2023$7.8M$0
2024$7.1M$0
2025$6.3M$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
$12.4M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$1.7M$2.3M
2020$7.4M$2.4M
2021$2.0M$2.4M
2022$3.0M$2.4M
2023$9.8M$2.5M
2024$6.7M$2.7M
2025$12.4M$2.9M

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.