Chatham-Kent residents will be able to ask online questions about the proposed 2021 municipal budget through Facebook Live sessions this week.
Municipal officials say taking questions will be Mayor Darrin Canniff, 2021 budget chair Councillor Brock McGregor, Chief Administrative Officer Don Shropshire and senior members of the executive management team.
The sessions will be streamed through Facebook Live on the Municipality’s page, on the following days:
– Tuesday, January 19 at 12 p.m.
– Wednesday, January 20 at 4 p.m.
– Thursday, January 21 at 6 p.m.
“Although we can’t meet in person this year, we want to ensure that residents have the same opportunity to ask questions in a public forum,” stated Mayor Canniff, in a media release.
“What we are sharing is our proposed budget and we encourage residents to look at the budget presentation on our website and bring forth anything they would like to discuss.”
Councillor McGregor said he believes having the sessions online could attract a larger audience than traditional in-person meetings.
“We have an opportunity to fit many more people into our virtual meeting than we could in a physical setting,” he said in a media release.
“We are offering meetings in the day and evening.”
Council Budget Committee deliberations are scheduled for January 27, 28 and February 2 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. live on YourTV as well as live streamed on the YourTV YouTube channel and the municipal Facebook page
Written presentations of up to five minutes are welcome each evening.
Submissions must be made by emailing ckfps@chatham-kent.ca before 3 p.m. each day.
Deputations on specific topics generating significant community interest will be scheduled and announced prior to the Budget Committee’s deliberations.
If you are unable to attend any of the sessions, your comments can also be made:
– By email to ckfps@chatham-kent.ca
– By mail to Budget & Performance Services, Municipality of Chatham-Kent, 315 King St. W., P.O. Box 640, Chatham, Ontario, N7M 5K8
– By telephone to Budget & Performance Services at 519.360.1998, Ext. 3100
Steve Brown, Chatham-Kent’s Director of Budget & Performance Services, said the municipality has prepared three videos dealing with budget basics, learning how property tax is calculated and assessment growth.
The videos can be viewed, here.
