Chatham-Kent is projecting a $3.4 million budget deficit for 2021.
A report to council shows a budget variance forecast through October 2021, with the bulk of the deficit due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and Wheatley gas explosion emergency.
A significant portion of the COVID19 expenses are related to a loss in revenue from the provincial offences court, the Chatham casino and arena rentals.
It’s possible the province will help out the municipality with costs related to Covid-19 and the Wheatley emergency, however, as the report points out, there has been no agreements signed with the province as of this week.
A final 2021 variance report will come to council in the upcoming months after the completion of a year-end audit.