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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 South Bruce'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 South Bruce'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 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: $35.5M

Where the town's money came from in 2024.

South Bruce revenue by source, 2024
  • Property taxes$6.9M19%
  • Grants for specific projects$2.4M7%
  • Fees people pay$3.3M9%
  • Licences and rent$1.8M5%
  • Other$20.2M57%
  • Everything else$941K3%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$6,866,42619.3%
Grants for specific projects$2,428,2466.8%
Fees people pay$3,287,7349.3%
Licences and rent$1,764,5505.0%
Other$20,202,48056.9%
Everything else$940,8892.7%
Total$35,490,325100%

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.
Other
Interest earned, donations, sales of land and equipment.

Money out: $13M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2024, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $3.5M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

South Bruce spending by service, 2024
  • Running the town office$1.1M8%
  • Police, fire and safety$4.2M32%
  • Roads and snow$3.6M28%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$2.3M18%
  • Health$169K1%
  • Social services$85,4051%
  • Parks, arena and library$1.4M11%
  • Planning and business$144K1%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$1,099,5678.5%
Police, fire and safety$4,184,44432.2%
Roads and snow$3,618,90627.8%
Water, sewers and garbage$2,309,04917.8%
Health$169,0551.3%
Social services$85,4050.7%
Parks, arena and library$1,396,69810.7%
Planning and business$144,3721.1%
Total$13,007,496100%

Police, fire and safety

$4.2M

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

+112% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Other safety$2.3M+566%

    Other safety costs.

  2. Police (OPP contract)$835K−5%

    What the town pays for policing.

  3. Fire department$725K+42%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  4. Building permits$183K+38%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  5. Conservation authority$118K+49%

    A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.

  6. By-law and animal control$38,749

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  7. Emergency planning$15,434

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Other safety$2,269,501+565.6%
Police (OPP contract)$834,834−4.8%
Fire department$725,388+41.5%
Building permits$182,627+38.0%
Conservation authority$117,911+48.6%
By-law and animal control$38,749–
Emergency planning$15,434–

Roads and snow

$3.6M

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

+37% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Roadsides and signs$1.4M+34%

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

  2. Snow ploughing$794K−1%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  3. Gravel roads$666K+33%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  4. Paved roads$558K+237%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  5. Bridges and culverts$90,988

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  6. Street lights$69,036+23%

    Power and repairs for street lights.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Roadsides and signs$1,440,638+33.8%
Snow ploughing$793,925−1.4%
Gravel roads$666,310+32.9%
Paved roads$558,009+237.2%
Bridges and culverts$90,988–
Street lights$69,036+23.5%

Water, sewers and garbage

$2.3M

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

+15% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Sewage treatment$1.1M+4%

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

  2. Water pipes$599K+41%

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

  3. The dump (landfill)$299K+7%

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

  4. Recycling$134K+42%

    Recycling and composting.

  5. Sewer pipes$107K+9%

    The pipes that carry sewage away from homes.

  6. Garbage pickup$64,388+43%

    Trucks that collect garbage.

  7. Rural drainage$15,129

    Ditches and drains in the countryside.

  8. Storm drains$13,835−53%

    Drains that carry away rain water.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Sewage treatment$1,077,264+4.2%
Water pipes$598,628+40.7%
The dump (landfill)$298,708+7.1%
Recycling$133,842+41.7%
Sewer pipes$107,255+9.1%
Garbage pickup$64,388+42.6%
Rural drainage$15,129–
Storm drains$13,835−52.9%

Parks, arena and library

$1.4M

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

+38% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$1.0M+33%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Programs$205K+56%

    Classes, camps and activities.

  3. Parks$119K+56%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  4. Arts and culture$32,998

    Festivals, arts and heritage.

  5. Library$31,915

    The public library.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$1,007,603+32.8%
Programs$205,240+56.4%
Parks$118,942+56.0%
Arts and culture$32,998–
Library$31,915–

Running the town office

$1.1M

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.

+37% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Senior management$718K+45%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  2. Office and administration$212K+6%

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

  3. Council$169K+59%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$718,395+44.9%
Office and administration$211,740+6.3%
Council$169,432+59.3%

Health

$169K

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+55% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Health broken down
  1. Public health$92,289+41%

    Health inspections and programs.

  2. Cemeteries$67,320+66%

    Looking after town cemeteries.

  3. Other health$9,446

    Other health costs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Public health$92,289+41.3%
Cemeteries$67,320+65.5%
Other health$9,446–

Planning and business

$144K

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

+21% since 2019 (prices rose 18%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Business and tourism$68,060−15%

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

  2. Farms and forests$39,230

    Programs for farms and forests.

  3. Planning and zoning$37,082

    Deciding what can be built where.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Business and tourism$68,060−14.7%
Farms and forests$39,230–
Planning and zoning$37,082–

Social services

$85,405

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

Social services broken down
  1. Child care$85,405

    Daycare and early learning.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Child care$85,405–

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$4.6M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Outside companies$3.7M

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

  3. Supplies and utilities$3.4M

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

  4. Rent and money costs$1.0M

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

  5. Money given to others$148K

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

  6. Interest on loans$108K

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$4,614,036
Outside companies$3,711,061
Supplies and utilities$3,401,457
Rent and money costs$1,024,093
Money given to others$148,366
Interest on loans$108,483

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
2019221930
2020271920
2021291127
2022301931
2023342228
2024361444

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
$35.5M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$12.3M$8.7M
2020$12.7M$9.2M
2021$15.7M$10.5M
2022$19.6M$11.8M
2023$23M$12.8M
2024$35.5M$13M

Town property tax

Up 42% since 2019. Prices rose 18%.

Town property tax by year
$6.9M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$4.8M
2020$5.1M
2021$5.6M
2022$5.7M
2023$6.3M
2024$6.9M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$16.3M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$6.4M
2020$8.4M
2021$9.5M
2022$8.9M
2023$6.8M
2024$16.3M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$2.7M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$4.4M$0
2020$4.1M$0
2021$3.7M$0
2022$3.4M$0
2023$3.0M$0
2024$2.7M$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
$5.4M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$3.2M$2.7M
2020$1.3M$3.0M
2021$3.3M$3.0M
2022$4.4M$3.1M
2023$11.5M$3.2M
2024$5.4M$3.5M

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.