Budget and Finance | City of Owen Sound

Owen Sound's Draft 2025 Budget

The City of Owen Sound has released its draft 2025 Operating budget, presenting to Council in December. The budget outlines the City’s commitment to balance the costs of providing important services while ensuring long-term fiscal responsibility. The budget also continues to address and reduce the gap between Owen Sound’s property tax rate and the average residential tax rate in Grey County. The 2025 draft budget proposes a property tax rate increase of 2.65% which works out to just less than $10 per month for the average home.

Making Cents of City Spending: A Guide to Owen Sound's 2025 Operating Budget

A brief guide to how Owen Sound creates its annual operating budget, breaking down costs and showing where money is spent on essential services like public safety, roads, and community programs.
It also explores how the city works to balance providing essential services with keeping taxes and fees affordable.

With clear explanations and helpful visuals, this guide helps residents understand how financial decisions affect the community and the role residents play in the City's budget.

Each year, City Council considers community priorities, Strategic Priorities, expected service levels, and legislated responsibilities as it sets the operating and capital budgets for the City of Owen Sound.

Operating budgets cover the City's daily services and programs. The Operating Budget is reviewed and updated annually. Operating costs include materials and supplies, wages and wage-related costs, contract payments, debt payments and transfers to reserves to fund future capital.

The 2024 tax levy Operating Budget totals $34.9 million.

View the Final 2024 Operating Budget Presentation to Council

View the City's 2024 Operating Budget book

Capital Plan

Please Note: Capital documents are currently being updated to reflect the changes approved by Council on December 10, 2024.

The City of Owen Sound has implemented a multi-year budget planning process with a five-year outlook on Capital projects. This road map, built with the guidance of Council and with their Strategic Priorities in mind, provides a longer-term outlook on Capital spending.

Benefits of multi-year capital planning include:
• Alignment of longer-term goals and objectives with funding plans.
• Greater certainty for residents about the future direction of taxes.
• Improved accountability and transparency of the long-term spending plan.
• Flexible allocation of resources over time.
• Improved resource planning for more complex, multi-year Capital projects.
• More efficient use of time and resources as the organization is not in ‘perpetual budget mode'.
• Ability to tender projects earlier and receive more favourable pricing.

Capital dollars are spent on the City's assets and infrastructure. While regular repairs and maintenance are budgeted for under operating, the capital budget plans for major rehabilitation, replacement and new capital assets. Capital project examples include bridge replacements, building refurbishments or upgrades, or new equipment.

The 2025-2029 Capital Plan includes $81.3 million in funded Capital Projects.

The Appendices include more detailed breakdowns of each capital project and can be viewed by clicking the links below:
Appendix A - Full List of 2025 - 2029 Projects

Appendix B - 2025-2029 Unfunded Projects

Appendix C - 2025-2029 Project Detail Sheets

2025 Capital Projects

Below are the planned capital projects for 2025. Some of these may be multi-year projects that have started in previous years and/or will continue into future years.