West Nipissing council continued its budget meetings Wednesday evening.
“We finished receiving information from all departments pertaining to the budget,” West Nipissing Mayor Joanne Savage said. “Council members also had the opportunity to question and to ask for clarification. We have another meeting Tuesday where we will get details from administration on opportunities, or suggestions on where issues can be cut back.”
“There’s also feedback from council members on their position and if there are any issues within the budget that they don’t support,” she continued.
Council also has an eye on how to chip away at the proposed just under 12 per cent tax increase.
“It really depends on a final discussion with council,” West Nipissing Chief Administrative Officer Jay Barbeau said last week. “We are still presenting to council the initial assumptions and scenarios which leads to the present, slightly under 12 per cent increase. Those increases have some options that council will have to look at to reduce it to an acceptable level and once that is completed, we will have a budget.”
“Like any other agencies, organizations or community groups, you always have some increases that you have no control over,” Savage explained. “We’re in a position with the municipality that we have some levies, or budgets that come from boards where we have no say pertaining to the bills. When we look at the documents that were provided to us this year in the budget, we have four per cent that have been identified as uncontrollable and we have to pay. The remaining is where council can identify the issues that we’re willing to support or not support.”
“It looks like we can bring that number down,” Savage added. “I don’t believe that anyone would favour such a tax increase.”