Written by Peter McIntyre Friday, 107.5 KISSFM 18 January 2013 17:39
There were a lot of tired and weary Vernon council members as 19 hours of budget talks over three days came to an end this afternoon at City Hall. The elected reps have agreed to a preliminary budget increase of 4.2 percent, or around 50 dollars extra for the average home. That breaks down to 1.9% for infrastructure upgrades, and 2.3% for other city matters. Mayor Rob Sawatzky says while it was a marathon three days, some good decisions were made, including the 1.9% to build up funds for roads and sewers. "Council has done a good job along with administration of addressing the infrastructure problems that we have, and we've set a course that over time will invest money for our citizens, Sawatzky told Kiss FM just after 5pm when the session ended Friday. The mayor doesn't expect significant changes to the financial blueprint. Councillor Bob Spiers said the 4.2% was "still a little too high for me." The elected reps opted for the cheaper of two options to deal with infrastructure as staff had recommended a three percent increase. Sawatzky says the city's biggest expense -- policing -- and other departments were asked to keep any increases to no more than 1.8%.
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