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Not the full picture. Built from public records, which leave things out.Older reportDetailsThis is built from public records, which leave a lot out, and some of it may be wrong or out of date.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
An older report. We have no 2024 report for Tay in the Province's latest release, so these pages use its 2022 report. It may simply be filed late.
Read by hand. We read Tay'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 · 2022

How Tay'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 2022, the latest year the town has reported to the Province.

Why 2022 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: $21.4M

Where the town's money came from in 2022.

Tay revenue by source, 2022
  • Property taxes$10.3M49%
  • Money from Ontario (no strings)$1.1M5%
  • Grants for specific projects$1.0M5%
  • Fees people pay$5.9M28%
  • Other$1.6M8%
  • Everything else$928K4%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Property taxes$10,276,84549.3%
Money from Ontario (no strings)$1,104,5005.3%
Grants for specific projects$1,011,2064.9%
Fees people pay$5,925,32428.4%
Other$1,592,3897.6%
Everything else$928,0384.5%
Total$20,838,302100%

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

Money out: $14.4M on services

Day-to-day spending in 2022, by service. On top of this, the town recorded $4.3M of "wear and tear" on things it owns. That is an accounting cost, not cash out the door, so it is left out here.

Tay spending by service, 2022
  • Running the town office$2.4M17%
  • Police, fire and safety$3.5M24%
  • Roads and snow$2.8M19%
  • Water, sewers and garbage$3.3M23%
  • Health$36,3320%
  • Social services$115K1%
  • Parks, arena and library$1.7M12%
  • Planning and business$491K3%
Show as a table
CategoryAmountShare
Running the town office$2,411,28316.8%
Police, fire and safety$3,473,40024.2%
Roads and snow$2,790,90919.4%
Water, sewers and garbage$3,346,98023.3%
Health$36,3320.3%
Social services$114,5450.8%
Parks, arena and library$1,692,23911.8%
Planning and business$491,1683.4%
Total$14,356,856100%

Police, fire and safety

$3.5M

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

+7% since 2019 (prices rose 11%)

Police, fire and safety broken down
  1. Police (OPP contract)$1.8M+2%

    What the town pays for policing.

  2. Fire department$1.1M+15%

    Firefighters, trucks and fire halls.

  3. Building permits$304K0%

    Checking that new buildings are safe.

  4. By-law and animal control$227K+10%

    Enforcing town rules, like noise, parking and dogs.

  5. Emergency planning$46,944

    Getting ready for floods, storms and other emergencies.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Police (OPP contract)$1,792,043+2.4%
Fire department$1,103,698+15.2%
Building permits$303,508+0.3%
By-law and animal control$227,207+10.2%
Emergency planning$46,944–

Water, sewers and garbage

$3.3M

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

+10% since 2019 (prices rose 11%)

Water, sewers and garbage broken down
  1. Sewage treatment$1.4M+17%

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

  2. Water treatment$944K−7%

    Making lake or well water safe to drink.

  3. Water pipes$466K+38%

    The pipes that bring water to homes.

  4. Sewer pipes$434K+12%

    The pipes that carry sewage away from homes.

  5. Other environment$143K+18%

    Other environmental costs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Sewage treatment$1,360,284+16.8%
Water treatment$943,538−7.3%
Water pipes$465,728+38.4%
Sewer pipes$434,425+11.5%
Other environment$143,005+18.3%

Roads and snow

$2.8M

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

+22% since 2019 (prices rose 11%)

Roads and snow broken down
  1. Paved roads$1.0M+14%

    Fixing and repaving paved roads.

  2. Snow ploughing$968K+30%

    Ploughing, salting and sanding roads in winter.

  3. Gravel roads$622K+37%

    Grading and fixing gravel roads.

  4. Street lights$93,391−35%

    Power and repairs for street lights.

  5. Bridges and culverts$62,475+65%

    Keeping bridges and the pipes under roads safe.

  6. Roadsides and signs$11,972

    Ditches, signs, line painting and roadside brush.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Paved roads$1,032,543+14.5%
Snow ploughing$968,045+30.4%
Gravel roads$622,483+37.4%
Street lights$93,391−35.4%
Bridges and culverts$62,475+64.6%
Roadsides and signs$11,972–

Running the town office

$2.4M

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.

+8% since 2019 (prices rose 11%)

Running the town office broken down
  1. Office and administration$1.3M+41%

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

  2. Senior management$652K−26%

    The top managers who run the town day to day.

  3. Council$417K+5%

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

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Office and administration$1,341,768+40.9%
Senior management$652,067−26.4%
Council$417,448+5.0%

Parks, arena and library

$1.7M

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

+10% since 2019 (prices rose 11%)

Parks, arena and library broken down
  1. Parks$818K+20%

    Parks, beaches, trails and green spaces.

  2. Library$370K+2%

    The public library.

  3. Arena and buildings$333K+3%

    The arena, pool, community centre and halls.

  4. Programs$162K−10%

    Classes, camps and activities.

  5. Arts and culture$10,000

    Festivals, arts and heritage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Parks$817,518+20.3%
Library$370,104+2.3%
Arena and buildings$332,571+3.2%
Programs$162,046−10.4%
Arts and culture$10,000–

Planning and business

$491K

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

−1% since 2019 (prices rose 11%)

Planning and business broken down
  1. Planning and zoning$420K−1%

    Deciding what can be built where.

  2. Business and tourism$67,980+2%

    Attracting businesses and visitors, and helping local shops.

  3. Other planning$2,384

    Other planning costs.

  4. Farm drainage loans$1,005

    Loans to farmers for field drainage.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Planning and zoning$419,799−0.9%
Business and tourism$67,980+2.3%
Other planning$2,384–
Farm drainage loans$1,005–

Social services

$115K

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

+3,731% since 2019 (prices rose 11%)

Social services broken down
  1. Income support$100K

    Help for people with very low income.

  2. Seniors$14,545

    Long-term care and seniors programs.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Income support$100,000–
Seniors$14,545–

Health

$36,332

Public health, ambulances and cemeteries.

+2% since 2019 (prices rose 11%)

Health broken down
  1. Hospitals$25,0000%

    Money given to hospitals.

  2. Cemeteries$11,332

    Looking after town cemeteries.

Show as a table
ItemAmountChange
Hospitals$25,0000.0%
Cemeteries$11,332–

What the money bought

The same 2022 spending, sorted by what it paid for rather than which service.

Spending by type
  1. Staff pay and benefits$5.7M

    Wages, benefits and pensions for town workers.

  2. Outside companies$4.7M

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

  3. Supplies and utilities$3.3M

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

  4. Interest on loans$242K

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

  5. Rent and money costs$200K

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

  6. Money given to others$173K

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

Show as a table
ItemAmount
Staff pay and benefits$5,706,026
Outside companies$4,689,649
Supplies and utilities$3,346,272
Interest on loans$242,137
Rent and money costs$200,262
Money given to others$172,510

Staff

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

YearFull-timePart-timeSeasonal
201951.7510.3834.25
202052.7510.3835.25
202152.759.3833.25
202253935

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
$21.4M
Show as a table
YearMoney inDay-to-day spending
2019$19.6M$12.9M
2020$19.7M$13M
2021$19.7M$12.8M
2022$21.4M$14.4M

Town property tax

Up 10% since 2019. Prices rose 11%.

Town property tax by year
$10.3M
Show as a table
YearTown property tax
2019$9.4M
2020$9.6M
2021$9.9M
2022$10.3M

Savings (reserves)

Money set aside for repairs, equipment and emergencies.

Reserves by year
$15.4M
Show as a table
YearSavings
2019$14.2M
2020$14.9M
2021$15.7M
2022$15.4M

What the town owes

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

Debt by year
$6.4M
Show as a table
YearLong-term loansTemporary loans
2019$8.9M$0
2020$8.1M$0
2021$7.3M$0
2022$6.4M$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
$2.5M
Show as a table
YearBuilt or boughtWore out (amortization)
2019$3.9M$4.4M
2020$3.8M$4.5M
2021$2.2M$4.6M
2022$2.5M$4.3M

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.