Merritt budget nearly finalized

Apr 14, 2021 | 7:46 AM

MERRITT — The adoption of the 2021 municipal budget in Merritt is fast approaching, as City staff are proposing to have final reading on the bylaw at the May 11 council meeting.

On Tuesday night (April 13) , Merritt City Council once again reviewed the document following a presentation from Finance Director Wayne Anderson, highlighting some of the changes since January.

On the capital project side, just one project has been removed from the plan, downtown washrooms. The project was removed after the city was unsuccessful in securing grant funding to offset the cost.

CAO Sean Smith addressed the 2021 budget saying the City is still working towards being less reliant on surpluses.

“I very much see this as a transitory budget year. We’ve shifted to a new model with our reserve accounts,” said Smith. “I don’t want to make sure Council understands the fact that as it stands, we are at a kind of unique inflection point in Merritt’s history. We are seeing growth; we’re seeing additional demand on just about every point. I want to make sure that Council understands we’re operating too far out of surpluses right now.”

Question of the Week

Do you think a minority government could be a positive for British Columbia?

Oct 21, 2024

Week in Review

Week in Review: Week of Oct. 14

Oct 20, 2024

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: The mind doesn't always listen

Oct 20, 2024

City Council is working under a proposed mill rate decrease of 5.3%, however, due to property assessments increasing across the city, many residents in Merritt will see a tax increase.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published by our sister station, Q101 in Merritt

by Michael Reeve- Q101 Merritt

Merritt budget nearly finalized

Our Community