Budget Fight May Come To An End Next Week

The 2013 Dryden budget has consumed the time and energy of staff for over 6-months but the struggle may finally be over.
Council turned down various options at an open meeting last night.
However, after considerable debate Council agreed to debenture roughly $600,000 for the overage of the sewage treatment plant in order to keep the tax rate down.
Mayor Craig Nuttall says that could result in a 5-6% tax increase.
Staff on Tuesday came back with several options including a recommended 11% hike.
The city has already debentured nearly $1-million for the paving of Highway 17.
Nuttall says they are going through the “perfect storm” right now and notes it’s time to “bite the bullet”.
It is a perfect storm indeed.
The 2013 financials show a combined $4-million dollar shortfall. ($1.25-million loss of DMTS dividend, annual debenture payments of $1.58-million for Dryden Mobility and $1.2-million a year on the mill assessment)
The financials don’t include Dryden Mobility’s stranded deficit of $2.8-million which staff have kept off the books.
The city also is faced with the possibility of paying $6-8 million from mill assessments dating 2009-2012.
Dryden is still in constant talks with the province about the property assessments and is hoping for a favourable response shortly.
The amount required to be collected through taxation is over $11.8-million.
Council is expected to vote on the budget next week.