The process this Council has adopted for developing the budget is to have several run throughs – line by line – of both the general and the capital budget.  The budget meetings are open to the public and in between meetings, there is lots of opportunity for council to consult with members of the community.  This past Monday night was our 3rd meeting to develop the 2017 budget and our 4th will be held on Monday, February 6 at 7:00 p.m.  All are welcome.  The meeting on Wednesday, February 1 @ 2:00 p.m. (referred to in Jan 26 Review Mirror) is to discuss and approve the contingency plan for managing the effluent in the lagoons this winter/spring. It is also open to the public, however it is not a budget meeting.

There are some areas in the general budget that will be reconsidered by Council on Feb 6 when another line by line review occurs.  The increases in staffing and marketing requested by the Harbour Committee will be part of the review. The draft capital budget was $60,000 by the end of round 3.  Funds required for road repairs are being researched and will be discussed on Feb 6.  Otherwise, we are likely getting closer to the capital budget for 2017.

I invite everyone to contact me or the Councillor of your choice if you have any questions about the budget.  The Village has many challenges that need to be addressed – new roof for the library, roads that are in dire need of attention, and of course the impact the warm weather has on the ability of the Snowfluent system to treat waste water.  At the same time, we are cognizant of the impacts of other rate increases and the cap & trade on monthly household budgets.  We are doing are best to take all of these factors into consideration.

You can call me at 613-273-9195 or email at rjones@villageofwestport.ca