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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 Glengarry'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 South Glengarry'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: $21M

Where the town's money came from in 2025.

South Glengarry revenue by source, 2025
  • Property taxes$12.3M59%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$1.1M5%
  • Grants for specific projects$3.8M18%
  • Fees people pay$2.5M12%
  • Everything else$1.3M6%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$12,312,40658.7%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$1,068,4005.1%
Grants for specific projects$3,790,06818.1%
Fees people pay$2,477,45811.8%
Everything else$1,334,8566.4%
Total$20,983,188100%

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.

Money out: $13.8M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2025, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $3.4M 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 Glengarry spending by service, 2025
  • Running the town office$2.1M15%
  • Police, fire and safety$2.0M14%
  • Roads and snow$4.5M32%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$2.8M20%
  • Health$48,5990%
  • Parks, arena and library$1.8M13%
  • Planning and business$676K5%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$2,066,94215.0%
Police, fire and safety$1,986,34314.4%
Roads and snow$4,458,42332.3%
Water, sewers and garbage$2,815,87320.4%
Health$48,5990.4%
Parks, arena and library$1,760,03412.7%
Planning and business$675,5654.9%
Total$13,811,779100%

Roads and snow

$4.5M

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

+16% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Paved roads$3.7M+30%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  2. Snow ploughing$719K−20%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  3. Street lights$68,379−53%

    Power and repairs for street lights.

  4. Airport$20,000

    A local airport or airstrip.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Paved roads$3,650,568+30.0%
Snow ploughing$719,476−20.5%
Street lights$68,379−53.5%
Airport$20,000–

Water, sewers and garbage

$2.8M

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

+34% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Garbage pickup$608K+22%

    Trucks that collect garbage.

  2. The dump (landfill)$591K+41%

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

  3. Sewer pipes$404K+80%

    The pipes that carry sewage away from homes.

  4. Sewage treatment$404K+80%

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

  5. Water treatment$404K+80%

    Making lake or well water safe to drink.

  6. Water pipes$404K+80%

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

  7. Recycling$686−100%

    Recycling and composting.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Garbage pickup$607,903+21.6%
The dump (landfill)$591,088+41.1%
Sewer pipes$404,051+79.8%
Sewage treatment$404,049+79.8%
Water treatment$404,049+79.8%
Water pipes$404,047+79.8%
Recycling$686−99.8%

Running the town office

$2.1M

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.

+55% 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. Council$200K+12%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Senior management$1,867,217+61.1%
Council$199,725+12.5%

Police, fire and safety

$2.0M

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

+51% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Fire department$1.2M+66%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  2. Building permits$469K

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  3. Conservation authority$154K+17%

    A regional group that manages rivers, flooding and wetlands.

  4. By-law and animal control$136K−70%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  5. Emergency planning$12,353

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Fire department$1,214,241+66.1%
Building permits$469,419–
Conservation authority$154,325+17.0%
By-law and animal control$136,005−70.2%
Emergency planning$12,353–

Parks, arena and library

$1.8M

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

+35% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Arena and buildings$1.3M

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  2. Parks$426K+22%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  3. Programs$24,972−76%

    Classes, camps and activities.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Arena and buildings$1,309,373–
Parks$425,689+21.9%
Programs$24,972−76.4%

Planning and business

$676K

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

+29% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$325K+35%

    Deciding what can be built where.

  2. Business and tourism$253K+17%

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

  3. Farms and forests$97,003+61%

    Programs for farms and forests.

  4. Farm drainage loans$753

    Loans to farmers for field drainage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$325,162+35.3%
Business and tourism$252,647+16.6%
Farms and forests$97,003+61.3%
Farm drainage loans$753–

Health

$48,599

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+23% since 2019 (prices rose 21%)

Health broken down
  1. Public health$48,599+23%

    Health inspections and programs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Public health$48,599+22.6%

What the money bought

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

Spending by type
  1. Supplies and utilities$6.1M

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

  2. Staff pay and benefits$5.8M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  3. Outside companies$1.3M

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

  4. Rent and money costs$367K

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

  5. Money given to others$279K

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

  6. Interest on loans$753

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Supplies and utilities$6,063,671
Staff pay and benefits$5,825,530
Outside companies$1,275,568
Rent and money costs$367,370
Money given to others$278,887
Interest on loans$753

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
2019330119
2020330119
2021330119
2022420107
202344018
202446015
20254628

In 2022, full-time staff jumped from 33 to 42 while part-time dropped from 0 to 0. 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 12% 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 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$15.2M$10.5M
2020$16.1M$10.9M
2021$15.9M$11.9M
2022$18.4M$13.4M
2023$21.3M$13.6M
2024$19M$14.2M
2025$21M$13.8M

Town property tax

Up 31% since 2019. Prices rose 21%.

Town property tax by year
$12.3M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$9.4M
2020$9.9M
2021$9.5M
2022$10.0M
2023$10.7M
2024$11.5M
2025$12.3M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$14M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$11.7M
2020$13M
2021$13.3M
2022$9.9M
2023$10.6M
2024$12M
2025$14M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$7,627
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$66,009$0
2020$47,309$0
2021$37,862$0
2022$27,827$0
2023$17,200$0
2024$12,553$0
2025$7,627$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
$2.4M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$1.1M$2.5M
2020$3.8M$2.5M
2021$3.8M$2.7M
2022$7.9M$2.7M
2023$3.0M$3.1M
2024$3.2M$3.5M
2025$2.4M$3.4M

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.