Firewood, asparagus, compost and umbrellas are among items Toronto city council members expensed on the public tab in 2018, newly released records show.

Office expenses released Friday cover Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, the end of the term for Mayor John Tory and 44 councillors. The new 26-member council elected last October started afresh Dec. 1.

Top council spenders were Jim Karygiannis ($55.554.98); Neethan Shan ($51,457.17); Ana Bailão ($49,652.06); Anthony Perruzza ($47,536.56); and Giorgio Mammoliti ($46,819.79).

Shan and Mammoliti both lost their re-election bids.

The expenses do not include salaries for council office staff, some travel expenses or spending related to extra duties such as TTC chair. The Star did not include councillors who served only part of the year.

Lowest spenders were Michael Ford ($1,476.00); Joe Cressy ($6,127.57); Justin Di Ciano ($16,444.47); Denzil Minnan-Wong ($16,642.05); and Sarah Doucette ($18,544.32).

Neither Di Ciano nor Doucette ran for re-election to the smaller council.

Many of the biggest spenders paid rent on constituency offices in their wards, while more thrifty colleagues met with constituents in shared space in civic centres and community centres.

Karygiannis, for example, paid $1,551.54 a month for his Scarborough office plus more than $4,000, over the 11 months, to a cleaning company. Karygiannis also expensed 23 business meetings at restaurants including Eggsmart and The Palace.

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Maria Augimeri, who lost her re-election bid, rented an ice cream truck for a special event for $274.75, while Ford bought $235.63 worth of candy canes for the Etobicoke Santa Claus Parade.

Mike Layton took a healthier approach with $124.93 worth of asparagus for an event called Bike with Mike. Vince Crisanti, defeated by Ford, spent $1,326.14 on a “Pirate Obstacle” for the Mosaic Multicultural Event.

James Pasternak spent $126.98 on Passover cards for the office. Augimeri bought $106.80 worth of roses for seniors at a Mother’s Day lunch, while Stephen Holyday purchased an $85 Remembrance Day wreath for a Royal Canadian Legion in Etobicoke.

Josh Colle, who retired from politics, spent $624.16 on delivery of a flyer for the Eglinton-Lawrence Pothole Action Plan.

Mammoliti, who was defeated by Perruzza, spent $1,729.92 on “fridge magnets for the office.”

Doucette paid $400 in honorariums to two people who conducted a workshop on raising backyard hens.

One item councillors love to lay on thick is compost. Several used their office budgets to buy extra organic fertilizer, on top of what the city normally hands out at community environment days often branded with councillors’ names.

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Cesar Palacio was the top compost buyer, handing out $3,750 worth before he withdrew from a race against Bailão in the fall election. Cressy bought $1,750 worth, almost a third of his total spending.

Mary-Margaret McMahon, who retired from politics, bought $1,900 worth of firewood for the 2018 Winter Stations art competition in The Beach.

While there will be fewer spenders this year, thanks to the smaller council, it won’t necessarily mean savings. Councillors in December boosted their annual office budgets to cope with larger new wards and also doubled their funding for office staff salaries.

Tory, elected to a second term last fall, spent $34,748.18. Equipment expenses reflect his habit of videotaping events and sharing on social media. His expenses also included signs custom-made for news conference podiums, touting such things as longer hours for libraries and more jobs for the city.

Tory’s total spending for signs and banners was $1,597.16. His office staff expensed Uber, Lyft and TTC rides. They also bought four “large umbrellas” from The Bay for $122.11.

Corrrection: This story was edited on March 23, 2019 to reflect that Cesar Palacio was not defeated by Ana Bailão but withdrew from the race.