MANITOWANING—Assiginack council passed its 2016 budget last month with a two percent increase to the tax levy again this year.
The largest portion of this year’s capital budget comes from engineering expenses for the replacement of the water filtration systems and a forcemain operational review. The major roads projects are Queen and Arthur Streets, which are scheduled for resurfacing, as well as culvert work on Clover Valley Road, which will commence shortly.
CAO Alton Hobbs noted that there is a lack of “free flowing” investments from the provincial and federal governments currently and that it is Assiginack’s hope that by investing in engineering work potential fall funding announcements will come and this will mean the municipality is ready to apply with shovel-ready projects.
There is also money in this year’s budget, $200,000, to be offset by gas tax revenues for the landfill expansion, which will also begin this summer.
There is also $25,000 in the budget for various items at the waterfront and vicinity. Included in this amount is $17,000 for a seniors’ park, which will be offset by a grant in the amount of $16,000.
The budget also includes the payback of much of the municipality’s reserves, as it is Assiginack’s policy to borrow from reserves where possible.
