Terrace Bay Council is Busy Fine Tuning the 2023 Budget.

Terrace Bay council held it’s regular meeting and a special council meeting the following day.

The Minutes of the previous meetings were accepted and then the first item on the agenda was the Administration report.

There was a discussion on having a youth workshop at the high school to promote awareness of the role of the various departments and administration in a municipality. Councillor Dube is a teacher and is keen to educate students on the services available and the workings of municipal politics.

CAO John Hall continued his report that also provided an update on fire department appointments. Volunteers must be approved by council before being appointed into the department.

Under Communications, the municipality of Shunia reiterated the need for support to suppress any efforts that give a mayor more power over development.
There were no questions and the meeting was moved in camera.

The following morning the Special council Budget 2023 meeting took place. The first meeting focused on the operating budget of every department. (This second meeting would focus more on capital revue and costs regarding signage.) The township has been trying to keep the current rates in line with last year but in some instances a levy might be warranted. 

The landfill agreements will remain in place and the costs will be monitored. 

Other costs include the contributions to the LNG project, the Municipal office restructuring, and  the fibre optic project that is currently being finished in Terrace Bay with rollout to customers expected to start this month.

Road improvements had been carried out over the last few years and any new work would have to be financed. Compared to previous years there seems to be a shortage of funding for infrastructure.

Public works will have to spend this year on equipment replacement and upgrades. 

Water works reports on the need for building maintenance especially new roofing on the existing structures. Health and safety concerns are a driving force behind trying to get the repairs done if funding can be found. 

Cemetery maintenance expenses and revenue was the next item up.

Then the arena expense was brought forward. Arenas remain a large portion of the budget for smaller municipalities as costs are high and useage is declining. 

Tourism costs have also been included and continues to be an important cost for an area that is currently seeking more funding for tourism opportunities.

It appears at this point any hikes in rates might be capped at below 4%. All towns have been faced with increases in gas, electricity and general inflation that has trickled down into increased costs of providing services. 

The treasurer put forward the proposal for ratios for different tax brackets including commercial and residential. Its a tough balancing act when you are trying to attract investment and people to the area. Funding availability for various projects was also presented and includes upgrades and reserve funds being utilized for the appropriate programmes. The summary was a rough estimate of costs expected in this year and the revenue expected and offered an explanation of what are the current priorities in this years budget.