With a few cuts here and there, Chatham-Kent Council has begun the process of chipping away at the municipal budget.
The first night of the 2021 Chatham-Kent budget deliberations saw the proposed increase lowered to 3.83%, down slightly from an initial 3.96 %.
The reduction was due to a proposed cut of $200,000 in storm sewer infrastructure life-cycle spending. Any decision made during deliberations is not considered final until the budget is passed by council.
Municipal officials have also given their unanimous approval to the Chatham-Kent Police Service budget, coming in at $32.5 million with a 1.16% increase over 2020. That’s actually the lowest yearly increase since amalgamation. Chief Gary Conn says the bulk of the police budget is made up of salaries and benefits.
Prior to the start of budget deliberations, there were three public consultation online sessions and a survey with strong interest from the community regarding municipality spending.
Over 1000 people took part in the survey, garnering 600 written comments. Each online question and answer session had at least 250 to 500 people watching the Facebook Live events.
Budget committee deliberations will continue again tonight, as well as Feb. 2. If more time is needed time has been set aside on Feb. 3 and 4.
