The Municipality of West-Interlake's gearing up to pass their 2016 budget. They gave the document first and second reading at a public hearing late last week, which saw about 17 citizens attend. Reeve Randy Helgason was surprised by the low turnout, citing their 2015 budget public hearing which had approximately 150 people attend. The budget's several months later than what's required under the provincial government, but West-Interlake was granted an extension as they continued to work through the challenges of amalgamation, as well as the new data entry requirements from the provincial government.

Helgason says some in attendance did express concerns over the budget, but he feels it's a fair document. When it comes to taxation, assessment changes saw the value of homes in Ward 2 rise, while assessed values in Ward 1 had stayed about the same. The municipality had slightly lowered the mill rate, so the tax impact will range from a slight decrease to a slight increase, depending on assessment. Overall, Helgason says he's pleased with the document, noting they did their best to keep the $3 million in unpaid disaster financial assistance claims in mind.

"We were pretty conservative with the budget this year, as we're still dealing with outstanding DFA issues. That seems to be progressing, and I like to stay positive about that."

Due to the significant delays in the budget process, West-Interlake citizens won't need to pay their tax bills until the end of November, a delay of about a month from the average year. While the fiscal year's end is already approaching, Helgason says there is no shortage of work for the municipality outlined in the 2016 budget. Work on manholes, sewer lines, and other infrastructure projects are all included in their plans. Helgason notes two of the highest priced items include addressing wastewater issues, and their landfill.

"We're actually getting some infiltration of groundwater into them in some places, which we had a pretty good idea where it is. We're going to put a camera in there and get that done. We've also done a study on the waste disposal grounds, so we're probably going to have to do a new cell."

The 2016 budget's set to be passed tonight, as Council holds a special meeting to five the document third reading.