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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by hand, Oct 2026DetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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 St Thomas'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.
Ontario / St ThomasUpdated Oct 5, 2026

Your city, in plain words

How St Thomas uses the money we share.

A clear, checkable guide to St Thomas' budget, taxes and council decisions. A single-tier city in Ontario with a mayor and eight councillors, in the middle of a very large development project. Every figure links back to the public record.

Your typical 2024 property tax bill$2,828on a $170K home91% City9% SchoolsSee your tax bill explained →
City spending, 2024$167MAbout $8,695 per household, up 10.1% from 2023.See the money →
Property tax change+5.0%St Thomas' own property tax came to $69.6M in 2024, against $66.3M in 2023.What changed →

Where it goes

Most of every dollar supports the everyday city.

Explore every service →
Social services$53.8M · 32%
Police, fire and safety$36.9M · 22%
Water, sewers and garbage$17.9M · 11%
Housing$15.1M · 9%
Show all 9 servicesShow fewer
Roads and snow$10.9M · 7%
Running the city office$10.4M · 6%
Parks, arena and library$9.8M · 6%
Health$7.7M · 5%
Planning and business$4.3M · 3%

Day-to-day spending in 2024, from St Thomas' report to the Province.

A fair comparisonHow does St Thomas compare?Among 10 similar Ontario cities, St Thomas' day-to-day spending per household is on the high side.St Thomas is here · 9 of 10, lowest to highestCompare St Thomas →

Questions worth asking

A closer look at the numbers.

Each one is a question, not an accusation. Every one lists ordinary reasons it could be true, and the documents it comes from.

All 10 questions
Needs an answerMoney health

Why did the City's estimate to finish servicing its new development area grow from $245,000,000 to $440,000,000 in one year?

$440,000,000estimated remaining cost of servicing the new development area (2024 statements: $245,000,000)

Each year's audited statements carry a note about one very large project: land bought and pipes and plants built to open up a new development area. In the 2024 statements the City said finishing the servicing would cost about $245,000,000. In the 2025 statements it says about $440,000,000, for the Dalewood Water Reclamation Facility (a new sewage treatment plant), due to be finished by 2030. It also expects to borrow an estimated $167,000,000 once the plant is done. The City's net long-term debt at the end of 2025 was $36,949,029. The notes say the work will be paid for with development revenues, outside transfers, industrial site servicing agreements and land sales, but they do not say why the estimate rose by about $195,000,000 (worked out by us), or whether the two notes describe the same scope.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources

Worth askingOpenness

What became of the $379,000,000 of land the City says it conveyed or sold, and what was the $26,587,210 loss on disposals in 2024?

$26,587,210loss on disposal of tangible capital assets and land in 2024

The 2025 statements say the cost of the new development area is shown in capital work in progress "net of land costs conveyed or sold as of December 31, 2025 of $379,000,000." Yet the statement of operations shows a loss on disposing of capital assets and land of only $334 in 2025. In 2024 it shows a loss of $26,587,210, while the 2024 statements list only $4,322,482 of capital asset disposals at cost. We did not find where the notes explain what the land was sold or conveyed for, to whom, or how the 2024 loss came about.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources

Worth askingMoney health

Why did grants and developer money for capital projects come in well below the 2025 budget, while the money owed to the City doubled?

$91,317,616owed to the City at the end of 2025 as accounts receivable, up from $43,506,027

The 2025 statements budgeted $174,748,968 in government transfers for capital projects and received $113,467,967. They budgeted $56,859,229 in developer and other contributions for capital and received $12,341,251. Together that is about $105.8 million less than budgeted (worked out by us). At the same time, accounts receivable (money owed to the City) went from $43,506,027 to $91,317,616 and cash and short-term investments fell from $81,411,689 to $69,267,577. The notes explain that capital budgets are set project by project and are unaudited, but they do not say which grants or contributions are late, or what the receivables are.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources

Worth askingRising costs

Why is actual spending in the audited statements so far above the budget printed next to it, two years running?

$207,689,549spent in 2025, against $175,772,304 in the budget column of the statements

The statements print the City's budget beside the actual results. For 2025 the budget column shows expenditures of $175,772,304 and the actual is $207,689,549. For 2024 the budget column shows $162,279,114 against an actual of $185,488,642. Revenue also beat its budget: $214,962,780 against $186,877,638 in 2025. In 2025 user charges (fees for water, sewer and other services) were $60,048,191 against a budget of $42,010,616, and transportation spending was $19,998,842 against $10,206,383. The notes say only that the approved operating budget is shown and that the budget is unaudited. We did not find a published reconciliation between the budget Council approves and the budget column in the statements.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources

Show 6 more questionsShow fewer
Worth askingRising costs

Why were police legal fees many times their $5,000 budget in 2023 and 2024, and why is the budget still $5,000?

$77,468police legal fees and expenses in 2024, against a budget of $5,000

The 2026 budget book prints the police "Legal Fees & Expenses" line for each year. In 2023 the budget was $5,000 and the actual was $43,543. In 2024 the budget was $5,000 and the actual was $77,468. Together that is $121,011 against $10,000 budgeted (worked out by us). The budget for 2025 and 2026 is still $5,000; the year-to-date column for 2025 shows $4,663. The police pages in the budget book discuss wages, grants and growth, but we did not find a note on legal costs.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 2 sources

Worth askingMoney health

Are the City's reserves shrinking, as the 2026 budget says, or growing, as the 2025 statements show?

$75,723,445total reserves and reserve funds at the end of 2025, up from $53,039,031

The 2026 budget book says investment income will fall by $250,000 "as reserve balances continue to decline" and that "the City continues to deplete its reserves." Staff also "advise against" the City's current practice of budgeting investment income to cover operating costs. But the audited 2025 statements show "Reserves" rising from $17,885,325 to $41,107,779, and all reserves and reserve funds together rising from $53,039,031 to $75,723,445. The two documents may be measuring different things or different dates. The 2025 statements also show cash and short-term investments falling from $81,411,689 to $69,267,577.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources

Worth askingMoney health

Does St Thomas have enough saved for repairs and emergencies?

$53Min savings at the end of 2024

Places keep savings (called reserves) to pay for new trucks, roof repairs and surprises. St Thomas had $53M saved at the end of 2024, up from $30M in 2019. That is 32% of one year's spending. Only 1 of 9 similar places had less, compared with what they spend.

Found automatically from the city's financial reports · 2 sources

Good to knowRising costs

Why does the 2026 budget raise the tax levy 8.9 per cent, with police making up 5.41 points of it?

$3,954,514increase in the police budget for 2026 (5.41 points of an 8.9 per cent levy increase)

The 2026 budget raises the property tax levy (the total the City collects from property taxes) from $73,035,325 to $79,480,392, up $6,516,066 or 8.9 per cent. After growth in the tax base (more properties paying), the net increase is 6.1 per cent. Police is the biggest part: its budget goes from $17,674,249 to $21,628,762, up $3,954,514, which is 5.41 points of the levy increase. The City has explained the main reasons in the budget book: wage and benefit increases, new positions, retiree benefits moved over from another department, and a 47.1 per cent drop in grants. Because it is explained, we have put this at the lowest level.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 3 sources

Good to knowRising costs

Why did the City's pension contributions to OMERS rise about 35 per cent in 2025?

$5,734,718OMERS contributions in 2025, up from $4,240,218 in 2024

OMERS is the pension plan for municipal workers. The City says it contributed $4,240,218 for current service in 2024 and $5,734,718 in 2025. That is up $1,494,500, or about 35 per cent (worked out by us). In the 2024 statements, salaries and benefits were $76,893,888; in the 2025 statements they are $84,487,144, up about 9.9 per cent (worked out by us). The City also had 222 employees paid $100,000 or more in 2025 against 181 in 2024. The notes do not explain the pension step-up.

Found by reading the city's own documents · 2 sources

2024 tax year · St Thomas, Ontario

Your tax bill, worked out.

Enter your home's assessed value to see roughly what you pay in property tax each year, who gets it, and what St Thomas's share pays for.

Ontario still uses property values from January 1, 2016 for tax, so your assessed value is probably well below what your home would sell for today.

It is on your property assessment notice from MPAC, and on your tax bill. We filled in the typical value in St Thomas.

Source

a year in property tax, at 2024 rates

  • St Thomas
  • Schools

St Thomas council sets only its own share. the Province sets the school rate.

See what your St Thomas share pays forHide the breakdown

Roughly what your St Thomas share pays for

Source
  • Police, fire and safety
  • Running the city office
  • Parks, arena and library
  • Roads and snow
  • Housing
  • Social services
  • Health
  • Planning and business

An estimate. It uses the residential tax rate, and splits St Thomas's share by what each service cost in 2024 after its own fees and grants (for example, water bills pay for much of a water system). Real bills also depend on your property class, local charges and any rebates.

  • Every fact, sourced

    Each number links to the public document it came from. Check it yourself.

  • No accusations

    We ask questions. Every one lists ordinary reasons a number could look odd.

  • Compared fairly

    Places are only compared with places of a similar size and kind, from the same yearly reports.

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