North Huron councillors are confident they are closer to adopting a 2017 budget on May 1.
A meeting in council chambers Monday affirmed council's hope that the budget process is moving well, and they feel they'll be able to pass it on the proposed date rather than bumping it back to May 15.
Council members admit this budget has been hard to pass, due in part to past council's decisions that have left North Huron with services that are usually found with municipalities much larger than the approximately 4,800 people currently served by North Huron.
Council will meet on April 24 where members will receive some requested staff reports that will give them everything they need in order to adopt the budget at a meeting on May 1.
Reeve Neil Vincent says he feels the decisions surrounding the Complex in Wingham haven't had the hoped-for economic benefits, and that people in neighboring municipalities are the ones benefiting from the Complex, and North Huron is unable to tax those people.
Director of Finance Donna White says the next steps are to see more analysis about shifts between the wards of the municipality to make sure that dollars are being correctly distributed.
Councillor Trevor Seip was one of the more vocal members of council when it came to trying to cut portions of the budget. He says council needs to be aware of what's going on in the community and act appropriately in order to cut wasteful spending the best they can.
Seip also stated that the number of departments in North Huron makes the budget process difficult for such a small council.
