The third day of the virtual Municipality of Chatham-Kent budget deliberations took place on Tuesday evening, February 2, 2021.
At the end of the second meeting, the proposed tax impact sits at 2.58%, down from the initial proposed tax increase of 3.96%.
Council debated a number of items in the draft budget on Tuesday to trim the increase down to that level.
You can watch the full meeting, below:
Wallaceburg Councillor Aaron Hall entered a successful motion to remove $475,000 from the budget, which had been earmarked for increased funding for underground infrastructure.
South Kent Councillor Anthony Ceccacci made a successful amendment to Hall’s motion, to allocate $300,000 to the storm sewer lifecycle reserve from the $1.6-million lifecycle asset management plan.
A motion by Mayor Darrin Canniff to trim a budget line for lifecycle inflation, from 1.5% to 1%, was successful.
The motion came with a savings of over $295,000, from $887,100 to $594,100.
South Kent Councillor Mary Clare Latimer entered a successful motion changing the budget line for physician recruitment to a two-year supplementary item for $200,000, which will be funded from reserves.
A motion by South Kent Councillor Trevor Thompson to remove $99,840 and $1,739 for a case manager for housing service was unsuccessful.
East Kent Councillor Steve Pinsonneault entered an unsuccessful motion to remove $500,000 from the lifecycle asset management plan.
Late in the meeting, after a motion to extend the meeting past 10 p.m. was approved, Chatham Councillor Doug Sulman entered a motion to move $3-million in one-time funding from the future economic downturn reserve to help reduce the 2021 tax increase.
However, Sulman’s motion was defeated.
North Kent Councillor Joe Faas entered a motion to approve the 2021 Budget with a 2.58% tax increase, but the motion failed.
Budget committee deliberations will continue into night four on Wednesday, February 3, 2021 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The meeting will be live streamed 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 from the public.
Submissions must be made by emailing ckfps@chatham-kent.ca before 3 p.m.
