WAWA — Snow isn’t the only thing in the forecast as budget season is well underway for municipalities across the province.
The municipality of Wawa recently reviewed their operating and capital budgets for 2024 at their regular council meeting on Jan. 16.
Rates will be adopted at a later council meeting since the municipality is still waiting for information regarding education rates from the provincial government.
The operating and capital budgets were shared with the public for the first time on Sept. 26, 2023 and then again on Dec. 5, 2023 following some revisions.
Mayor Melanie Pilon expressed concern about the lack of engagement, noting that increased signage could raise awareness.
“That doesn’t surprise me but, certainly something to put in the parking lot to improve resident engagement on such a topic – especially as taxes increase. This is so important,” Pilon said.
However, Wawa’s treasurer and deputy clerk, Manuela Batovanja, said that she typically has heard from only one or two residents in the past.
Otherwise, council agreed that everything in the new budget looked good.
Batovanja’s budget report includes over $6.3 million for capital projects – including a transfer of $412,500 from the operating budget to capital reserves. The report makes a number of recommendations, including a property tax levy increase of four per cent as well as raising the water rate by about nine per cent, and a five per cent increase for sewer.
There will be no changes to levels of service.
Although Batovanja and her team have drafted the budget from 2024 through 2027, they only recommended that council adopt the 2024 budgets for approval.
Calculating the budgets for 2024 to 2027 initially resulted in a deficit of $600,000, so there is further review that needs to take place for 2025 to 2027.
To avoid that deficit, the main thing that Batovanja and her team have done is stagger the timing of some capital projects and alter sources of funding.
Some of those projects include the renovation of Wawa’s fire hall and town hall, in addition to upgrades to water treatment and distribution.
Council approved the 2024 operating and capital budgets unanimously.
